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Auto industry: Affected by the lack of material, but comparatively little scope for price increases
Photo: Jan Woitas / dpa-Zentralbild
The cost of scarce material that is urgently needed in production continues to rise.
Because of this development, according to the Ifo Institute, German industrial companies now also want to increase prices.
"The sharp rise in purchase prices for the primary products continues to bother companies," said Ifo expert Klaus Wohlrabe to a survey by the economic research institute.
The price expectations have climbed to a record high.
And: "The companies pass the increased purchase prices on to their customers."
Procurement crisis endangers upturn
In the electrical and metal industries in particular, customers could be affected by higher prices, while inflation, which has recently risen sharply, is likely to do the rest in many areas.
The chemical industry and mechanical engineering also want to make their services more expensive.
In contrast, the automotive industry sees comparatively little scope for price increases.
There is no end to this development in sight, because the shortage of materials in German industry has recently worsened: 69.2 percent of companies complained of bottlenecks and problems with preliminary products and raw materials in August - after 63.8 percent in July, this was a high achieved.
Not only industry, but also many craftsmen have been complaining for months that urgently needed raw materials and preliminary products are missing or delayed delivery: chips for car on-board computers as well as insulating materials for construction sites or wood for furniture.
According to experts, the shortage is already slowing the recovery of the German economy after the corona pandemic - and could also change private consumer behavior over the long term.
Expert Wohlrabe warns that this development has consequences for production: "The procurement crisis poses a real threat to the upswing." According to his institute, the shortage of semiconductors and chips is particularly noticeable among car manufacturers and their suppliers and among manufacturers of electrical equipment .
Despite the easing in the price of wood, many furniture manufacturers are still under pressure.
The flood areas in western Germany have recently been particularly affected by the scarcity economy - although raw materials are urgently needed for reconstruction there.
apr / Reuters
