Shipbuilding: Maritime suppliers benefit from strong demand

The worldwide boom in shipbuilding puts the German supply industry in a good mood. Although sales last year fell by 800 million euros to 10.3 billion euros in 2021 compared to the pre-corona year 2019, the companies are not worried.

On the other hand, incoming orders increased by 14.3 percent last year, and a clear majority of companies are expecting the same or even better development this year, said the CEO of VDMA Marine Equipment and Systems, Martin Johannsmann. on Thursday at the presentation of the annual report in Hamburg.

“The situation and mood in the industry is good to very good,” emphasized the head of the Schweinfurt-based SKF Group. Container shipping is working at full capacity, the shipyards are booming, and even in the cruise industry, which has been particularly hard hit by the corona pandemic, the situation is improving. The suppliers, with their around 63,000 employees, benefited from this. Some would also have “quite positive” order expectations with a view to the 19.3 billion euros that the federal government has earmarked for the navy as part of the 100 billion euro package of the Bundeswehr.

Always too much or too little

“We always have either too many orders or too few,” said Johannsmann. At the moment there are clearly too many, especially since it is becoming increasingly difficult to process them on time. Because in addition to the Corona aftermath, the industry is affected by the war in Ukraine, the lockdowns in China, the traffic jams in central transshipment points, rising inflation and the resulting strained supply chains. “You can only get by with such crises up and down with the team if you have people who work overtime, who work more than normal. But then you have to treat them properly, »emphasized Johannsmann.

In view of the demographic change and the significant increase in incoming orders, the shortage of skilled workers is also coming to a head in maritime mechanical engineering. According to a VDMA survey, four out of five companies complain about a noticeable or serious shortage of staff. Three out of five companies even see demographics and the shortage of skilled workers as a major risk. Johannsmann’s board colleague Tanja Hoppmann advised hiring significantly more trainees. “We are aiming for a ten percent training rate,” said the head of WISKA Hoppmann GmbH. The problem with this, however, is that the corona pandemic has made contact between companies and students considerably more difficult.

Sustainability in focus

Above all, Hoppmann warned the small and medium-sized companies in the industry to deal with the issue of sustainability immediately and intensively. “Just get started,” she said, also with a view to the soon to be significantly stricter reporting requirements for smaller companies as well. Being a role model when it comes to climate protection also brings advantages for customers and employees. A number of large shipping companies are already calling for sustainability, and many applicants can be persuaded to join the company with good standards.

According to the information, the most important markets for the suppliers are still Germany and the EU, where around half of the sales are generated. This is followed by the Asian region with a good third, with China and South Korea dominating there. According to the information, the suppliers with the highest turnover in Germany are in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. While they alone generate a good half of the total turnover, the traditionally maritime coastal states of Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Bremen and Hamburg only account for around a third.