Availability of Materials in Germany Approaching Pre-coronavirus Levels
German manufacturers hardly have to struggle with material shortages anymore. In March, 10.2% of the companies surveyed reported shortages, down from 14.6% in February. “The supply of raw materials and intermediate products has recently seen significant improvement,” says Klaus Wohlrabe, Head of Surveys at ifo. “The situation is now almost back to how it was before the coronavirus crisis.”
“The wage dispute at Deutsche Bahn has been settled and the logistics sector has adapted to the situation in the Red Sea, so there are fewer problems at present,” Wohlrabe says. In no industry does the proportion of companies affected by bottlenecks exceed 20%. Computer manufacturers have been hit the hardest by material shortages, with 18.2% reporting problems. They were closely followed by electrical equipment manufacturers (17.5%), manufacturers of machinery and equipment (14.4%), and the chemical industry (14.5%). In the remaining industries, the figure is well below 10% in some cases.
German manufacturing experienced the peak of supply problems in December 2021, when 81.9% of companies reported difficulties.
