At the beginning of last year , your members expected a solid market development for 2023 . Has that materialised ? That has materialised . We had quite high order backlogs due to the previously very tight supply chain situation . According to our statistics , the real turnover of pump manufacturers in 2023 was at the previous year ’ s level , while that of manufacturers of compressors , compressed air and vacuum technology fell slightly by 2 per cent .
You just mentioned the supply bottlenecks . How did this develop for the electronic components that you described as the „ Achilles heel “? In some cases , this has hit our members hard , as the electronic components were not available to the extent that our members needed them . However , the situation has eased considerably . In our flash survey last October , only 5 per cent of members spoke of serious restrictions on the procurement side , while 35 per cent spoke of noticeable restrictions . In comparison : in June last year , 20 per cent reported serious restrictions and 47 per cent reported noticeable restrictions . Not everything is back on track yet . But it is fair to say that the Achilles heel is clearly on the mend .
Nevertheless , the members have to deal with a shortage of skilled labour , climate targets and global crises . Did this have an impact last year ? Global crises are always a challenge – including the terrible , ongoing war in Ukraine and the political escalation in the Middle East . This causes a certain amount of uncertainty in the markets and among investors . The climate targets , on the other hand , are not just a burden , even if the temporarily high energy prices have placed a heavy burden on many members . We see the climate targets as an opportunity . There is potential in improving energy savings in pumps and compressors , which manufacturers are continuously realising through innovations . Green hydrogen offers another opportunity . Some customers have commissioned major projects in the past year that will be reflected in sales in the current year . What continues to concern us , however , is the shortage of skilled labour . Our manufacturers are making tremendous efforts to recruit and retain junior technical staff such as fitters and service specialists . Unfortunately , this will remain a major challenge in the future .
What is happening in the field of artificial intelligence ? In principle , this involves networking the components , for example in a compressed air system . This makes it