Automotive

The automotive industry is one of the key industries globally and of course in Germany. World-wide overcapacity and stagnant markets lead to increased competition. More than ever before, this industry is looking for ways to accelerate the development of innovative products, to compensate for shorter product life cycles, to reduce complexity, reduce costs and collaborate with new partners on a global basis.

Suppliers, in particular, will be affected by the ongoing wave of consolidation within the automotive industry in the next few years. It is estimated that in 2015 only 3,000 of the current 5,000 suppliers will be present on the market. The substitution of internal combustion engines by regenerative drive systems will have significant impact on all parties involved in the automotive industry.

Many suppliers, however, currently lack the liquidity and necessary management resources for acquisitions. These market developments will lead to consolidation processes and corporate takeovers in the automotive industry.