German manufacturers will more than likely not have to struggle with material shortages anymore, with availability of materials reaching pre-coronavirus levels, according to data gathered by the ifo Institute, a research institute in Munich, Germany. In March, 10.2% of the companies surveyed reported shortages, down from 14.6% in February. 'The supply of raw materials and intermediate products has recently seen significant improvement,' said Klaus Wohlrabe, Head of Surveys at ifo. 'The situation is now almost back to how it was before the coronavirus crisis.'
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'The wage dispute at Deutsche Bahn has been settled and the logistics sector has adapted to the situation in the Red Sea, so there are fewer problems at present,' he said. Computer manufacturers have been hit the hardest by material shortages, with 18.2% reporting problems. They were closely followed by electrical equipment manufacturers (17.5%), manufacturers of machinery and equipment (14.4%), and the chemical industry (14.5%). In the remaining industries, the figure is well below 10% in some cases.
German manufacturing experienced the peak of supply problems in December 2021, when 81.9% of companies reported difficulties.
More information:
ifo Institute
www.ifo.de