German mechanical engineering is looking slightly more positively ahead again. According to the VDMA quarterly survey, the trade association of German machinery and plant manufacturers, 34 percent of companies describe the current situation as good or very good. In July that was still 28 percent. VDMA chief economist Johannes Gernandt speaks of "reason for cautious optimism".
What the VDMA reports
The survey for the third quarter of 2026 shows a slight improvement on several points:
| Question | Result |
|---|---|
| Current situation good or very good | 34% (July: 28%) |
| Current situation poor or very poor | approx. 22% |
| Expects improvement in the next six months | 33% (July: 25%) |
| Expects deterioration | 10% |
| Expects nominal sales growth in 2026 | approx. 57% |
| Considers sales growth in 2027 possible | 62% |
The impetus comes mainly from smaller customer sectors: defence, aerospace and medical technology. Electrical engineering also benefits, thanks to the large investments in AI. Automotive and chemicals remain weak. For robotics and automation the situation is mixed, but expectations have improved.
The recovery is still fragile. Well over 30 percent of companies expect to have to cut jobs, and only 18 percent want to hire extra people. According to Gernandt, around 100,000 jobs have already disappeared from German mechanical and plant engineering since 2019. He says costs in Germany are too high and calls on politicians to clear the backlog of reforms.
Orders are ahead of production
The survey follows the forecast that the VDMA revised in September. In it the association expects a production decline of 2 percent for 2026, the fourth year in a row of lower production. For 2027 the VDMA expects growth of 3 percent.
At the same time, order intake in the first seven months of 2026 was 5 percent higher than a year earlier, after adjusting for prices. The growth came mainly from countries outside the eurozone, with 14 percent more orders. Demand from Germany itself clearly lags behind. Orders now only become production in a few months: first the machines have to be designed, built and tested.
What does this mean for machine builders and suppliers?
Many Dutch machine builders and suppliers deliver to German customers, or build machines that find their way via German system integrators. If orders pick up there, you will notice it here too, with some delay. Those who only start planning then are always behind the facts.
Three things help you be ready when the pace picks up:
- Choose the cable carrier early in the design. A carrier that is only chosen at the end has to fit into the space that is left. With the Cable carrier configurator you determine a suitable type based on your cables, the stroke and the installation space. A specialist checks the result free of charge.
- Have carrier and cables arrive as one whole. Fewer people means fewer assembly hours. A cable carrier that is assembled to length in Ruurlo, with the cables inside and the strain relief fitted, goes to the machine ready for installation. More on this at plastic cable carriers.
- Put recurring machines on a fixed list. If you build the same machine more than once, record the carriers, cables and entries once. In My Wisman you can reorder previous orders.
And if the investment still has to wait?
Not every customer orders a new machine straight away. Where investments are still on the shelf, existing machines have to last longer. Cable carriers and the cables inside them wear gradually with every stroke. This usually announces itself well in advance, if you know where to look. Go through the points in the Carrier check, or read how to replace a cable in a cable carrier if a cable has failed. For an inspection of all carriers in an installation there is the maintenance and inspection service.
What Wisman Techniek does
Wisman Techniek has been a specialist in cable management since 1975 and is the exclusive dealer of Tsubaki Kabelschlepp in the Netherlands. We have more than 5,000 items in stock in Ruurlo. Standard delivery is 1 to 3 working days, and stock ordered before 14:00 often leaves the same day.
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