According to a survey by the Ifo Institute, material shortages in German industry saw a slight increase in September. Fourteen point six percent of companies reported a lack of primary products, up from 13.3 percent in August. However, Klaus Wohlrabe, head of the Ifo surveys, noted that this increase should not be interpreted as a nationwide surge in supply difficulties; rather, missing components are again becoming a more prominent problem in specific, isolated industries.
Supply remains particularly strained for manufacturers of data processing equipment, as well as those producing electronic and optical goods. In this sector, the proportion of companies facing material shortages jumped significantly from 33.2 percent to 37.8 percent. Wohlrabe stated that fierce demand intersecting with strained material supply, especially within parts of the electrical industry, could increasingly create bottlenecks due to missing primary components.
The situation in the chemical industry also worsened, with 18.0 percent of companies reporting material shortages, a rise from 12.5 percent in August. Similarly, in mechanical engineering, participation increased slightly, moving from 14.9 percent to 16.3 percent.
Conversely, the situation improved noticeably in metal production and processing, where the share of companies reporting shortages fell from 21.1 percent to 14.2 percent. For manufacturers of electrical equipment, the trend was slightly downward, decreasing from 29.5 percent to 27.4 percent, though the level remains high. Meanwhile, the supply conditions in the automotive industry remained largely stable at 8.9 percent.
