MARKET ANALYSIS AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIERS GERMANY: TOP 100 RANKING
The 2021 ranking: In our market analysis Automotive Suppliers Germany 2021 by MEYER INDUSTRY RESEARCH, we systematically examine the leading 100 automotive suppliers in Germany.
Facts about the company and the industry: The market analysis "Automotive Suppliers Germany 2021" surveyed the current sales development of the top 100 suppliers headquartered and manufacturing in Germany, the development of the companies' profits and the distribution by product groups manufactured. The Munich-based market analysts also analyzed the regional distribution of the industry in Germany.
Automotive suppliers under pressure: Sales of the 100 largest automotive suppliers in Germany fell by an average of 13 percent in 2020. In absolute terms, the sales of the largest companies in the sector in Germany are thus roughly at the same level as in 2015. The profitability of the TOP 100 automotive suppliers in Germany, measured by the EBIT margin, averaged -3.5 percent in 2020. A downward trend in the profitability of the TOP 100 companies was already apparent in the two pre-Corona years 2018 and 2019. For example, the average EBIT margin fell from 4.8% (2017) to 1.9% (2018) and 0.8% (2019).
Global players and hidden champions: The well-known industry giants such as Bosch, ZF, Continental and Schaeffler are naturally at the top of the ranking in terms of sales, but at the same time the analysis shows that the German supplier landscape is characterized by many "hidden champions", i.e. companies that are comparatively unknown to the public. These include a high proportion of traditional family-run companies.
MATTHIAS MEYER, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF MEYER INDUSTRY RESEARCH, ON THE MARKET STUDY
"Worldwide rankings on the automotive supplier industry have been around for years. However, in our market analysis projects, we see that the German automotive supplier industry in particular is regarded as one of the leaders worldwide. With this in mind, we wanted to take a closer look at the high-performing German companies behind it for the first time in 2018, and at that time we compiled a ranking of the leading 100 German supplier companies. At that time, the suppliers were still bursting with strength and almost consistently showed sales growth and good profitability. Our 2021 update now shows how the industry has changed during the crisis."
SALES SLUMP BY AN AVERAGE OF 13%, EBIT MARGIN OF THE TOP 100 SUPPLIERS NEGATIVE FOR THE FIRST TIME
Sales slump after stagnation: Sales of the 100 largest automotive suppliers in Germany fell by an average of 13 percent in 2020. In absolute terms, the sales of the largest companies in the sector in Germany are thus roughly at the same level as in 2015. The top 100 suppliers already recorded stagnating development in 2018 and 2019.
Negative margins for the first time:The profitability of the TOP 100 automotive suppliers in Germany, measured by EBIT margin, averaged -3.5 percent last year. The two pre-Corona years 2018 and 2019 already showed a downward trend with regard to the profitability of the TOP 100 companies. For example, the average EBIT margin fell from 4.8% (2017) to 1.9% (2018) and 0.8% (2019).
3% fewer employees, 6.5% lower per capita sales: The number of employees at the TOP 100 automotive suppliers in Germany fell by just under 3% compared with the previous year. This means that the number of employees at the largest companies in the sector is declining more slowly than sales. As a result, the average performance of the companies under review fell by 6.5 percent, measured by the sales/employee indicator.
REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION: BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG, BAVARIA AND NRW AS TOP LOCATIONS
The south and west lead: According to the study, the corporate headquarters of the 100 largest German automotive suppliers are concentrated in the south and west of Germany. More than three quarters of the suppliers have their headquarters in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia. These states are thus the hardest hit by the industry crisis affecting the most important automotive suppliers in Germany.
Christian Scherer, Automotive Analyst at MEYER INDUSTRY RESEARCH and co-author of the study, comments: "We clearly see a concentration of the leading automotive suppliers in the south and west of Germany. At the same time, it must be taken into account that the German headquarters of the company were evaluated here in each case. If the production locations of the automotive suppliers were included in the analysis, regions in the east of Germany would probably also have a much greater impact."
MARKET RESEARCH AGENCY FOR MARKET ANALYSIS IN INDUSTRY AND TECHNOLOGY
MEYER INDUSTRY RESEARCH is a specialist in the preparation and execution of market analyses in demanding technology sectors. For our clients from the automotive, mechanical engineering, medical technology, energy technology and electronics industries, we develop fact-based and reliable decision-making bases with our professional market analyses.
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