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
"Advertising in PCB007 Magazine has been a great way to showcase our bare board testers to the right audience. The I-Connect007 team makes the process smooth and professional. We’re proud to be featured in such a trusted publication."
Klaus Koziol - atgSuggested Items
Aircraft Wire and Cable Market to surpass USD 3.2 Billion by 2034
10/30/2025 | Global Market Insights Inc.The global aircraft wire and cable market was valued at USD 1.8 billion in 2024 and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 5.9% to reach USD 3.2 billion by 2034, according to recent report by Global Market Insights Inc.
The Training Connection Continues to Grow with Addition of Veteran IPC Trainer Bill Graver
10/30/2025 | The Training Connection LLCThe Training Connection, LLC (TTC-LLC), a premier provider of test engineering and development training, is proud to announce the addition of Bill Graver to its growing team of industry experts. A respected professional with more than 35 years in electronics manufacturing, Bill joins as an IPC Master Trainer, bringing a wealth of hands-on experience in PCB testing, failure analysis, and process improvement.
I-Connect007 Welcomes New Columnist: Leo Lambert, EPTAC
10/30/2025 | I-Connect007I-Connect007 is excited to announce a column by Leo Lambert, an industry veteran with 40 years of experience, an award winner, and technical director at EPTAC. This column, Learning With Leo, will explore the evolution and related challenges of electronics product assembly, especially as it relates to training.
On the Line With… Ultra HDI Podcast—Episode 7: “Solder Mask: Beyond the Traces,” Now Available
10/31/2025 | I-Connect007I-Connect007 is excited to announce the release of the seventh episode of its 12-part podcast series, On the Line With… American Standard Circuits: Ultra HDI. In this episode, “Solder Mask: Beyond the Traces,” host Nolan Johnson sits down with John Johnson, Director of Quality and Advanced Technology at American Standard Circuits, to explore the essential role that solder mask plays in the Ultra HDI (UHDI) manufacturing process.
AI Triggers Next Paradigm Shift in PDN
10/23/2025 | Istvan Novak, SamtecArtificial intelligence (AI), together with machine learning (ML), is creating an unprecedented surge of computing and networking infrastructure needs. This, in turn, has dramatically increased the power consumption of computing and networking chips.