VDMA Forecast 2025: German Robotics and Automation Faces 10% Revenue Drop Investment Restraint Shapes the Outlook
June 2, 2025 | VDMAEstimated reading time: 1 minute
The robotics and automation industry in Germany is expected to generate total sales of €14.5 billion in 2025. This is a drop of ten percent compared to the previous year.
"The revenue weakness announced at the start of the year has been confirmed in our current forecast for 2025," says Dr. Dietmar Ley, Chairman of VDMA Robotics + Automation. "Growth prospects are currently clouded in all subsectors through the end of the year."
Robotics + Automation: A Comparison of the Three Subsectors
The Machine Vision subsector is stagnating with zero growth and is expected to generate industry revenues of €3.1 billion. The forecast for robotics has slightly worsened from minus 3 percent to minus 5 percent, with expected revenues of €3.7 billion for 2025. The sharpest decline is anticipated for Automated Solutions, with a projected revenue drop of 15 percent to €7.7 billion.
Strengthening Competitiveness
Key causes of the economic weakness in Europe and Germany include postponed investment plans due to current geopolitical tensions and increasing competitive pressure from Asian rivals. Companies in the robotics and automation industry are therefore working hard to strengthen their own competitiveness. At the world’s leading marketplace for automated production, automatica in Munich (June 24–27), the latest technologies and trends for all industrial sectors will be presented. Key focus areas include automation solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the use of artificial intelligence (AI).
“VDMA Robotics Action Plan for Europe”
“Robotics and automation are key technologies without which industrial production in a high-wage country like Germany will no longer be conceivable in the future,” says Dr. Dietmar Ley. “Politics and business must now take concerted action to reduce location-based disadvantages in international competition and set the course for renewed growth.” To this end, the “VDMA Robotics Action Plan for Europe” sets out three core demands:
Make more venture capital available for startups and scale-ups. Establish a roadmap for competitiveness. Focus specifically on scaling up European innovation. In addition, the investment support announced by the new German government must now be swiftly implemented. A political dialogue on these topics will take place during Poland’s EU Council Presidency on June 23, 2025, at the Polish Embassy in Berlin.
Testimonial
"Our marketing partnership with I-Connect007 is already delivering. Just a day after our press release went live, we received a direct inquiry about our updated products!"
Rachael Temple - AlltematedSuggested Items
Polar Instruments Announces Additive Transmission Line Support for Si9000e
08/20/2025 | Polar InstrumentsTransmission lines embedded into the PCB surface are a feature of UHDI constructions. The 2025 fall release of Polar's Si9000e PCB impedance & insertion loss transmission line field solver incorporates eight new single ended, differential and coplanar transmission line structures.
Axxon-Mycronic Brings High-Performance Conformal Coating to productronica India 2025
08/20/2025 | Axxon-MycronicAxxon-Mycronic, a leading, global supplier of innovative and production-ready, dispensing and conformal coating systems, is pleased to announce its participation in productronica India 2025, taking place September 17–19 at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC).
The Marketing Minute: Staying Positive When the Market Isn’t
08/20/2025 | Brittany Martin -- Column: The Marketing MinuteIn today’s volatile electronics market, buffeted by tariffs, supply-chain shifts, and squeezed margins, it’s tempting to tighten belts and cut your marketing budget. But history shows us that the quietest brands get forgotten fastest. Staying visible is not a luxury; it’s a competitive advantage.
Eltek Ltd. Reports Strong Second-Quarter 2025 Results
08/14/2025 | PR NewswireEltek Ltd., a global manufacturer and supplier of technologically advanced solutions in the field of printed circuit boards (PCBs), today announced its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2025.
20 Years of Center Nanoelectronic Technologies (CNT) – Backbone of German Semiconductor Research Celebrates Anniversary
08/14/2025 | Fraunhofer IPMSThe Center Nanoelectronic Technologies (CNT) of the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems (IPMS) is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Since its founding in 2005, it has developed into a pillar of applied semiconductor research in Germany and Europe. With its unique research cleanroom and equipment adhering to the 300-mm wafer industry standard, CNT is unparalleled in Germany and serves as a central innovation driver for the microelectronics industry.