Material Shortages Ease Somewhat in German Manufacturing
Supply problems in German manufacturing continue to ease. In September, 24.0% of the companies surveyed reported material shortages, down from 24.4% in August. “Things are settling down,” says Klaus Wohlrabe, Head of Surveys at ifo. The situation remains most problematic in the automotive industry, where just under 53% of the companies reported bottlenecks in the supply of raw materials and intermediate products.
In all other industries, the share is below 40%, and in most cases even below 20%. Manufacturers of machinery and equipment (36.3%) and of data processing equipment (36.4%) are still noticeably above the long-term average. Those least affected are the beverage industry (1.3%), the paper industry (0.2%), and manufacturers of leather goods (0%).
