VDMA
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| Abbreviation | VDMA |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1892 |
| Purpose | Professional Society |
| Location | |
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Region served
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Germany |
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President
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Carl Martin Welcker |
| Website | www.vdma.org |
The Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau – VDMA) has its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and represents around 3,200 members, making it the largest industry association in Europe. The Association represents the interests of the predominantly medium-sized companies in the mechanical engineering industry towards policymakers and society, as well as towards business, the scientific community, public authorities and the media. With more than one million employees and a turnover of around EUR 218 billion (2015), mechanical and plant engineering is Germany’s largest employer in the industrial sector. German machinery production is valued at EUR 201 billion (2015) and Germany’s mechanical and plant engineering sector is extremely export-oriented (with an export rate of 77.4 percent; 2015). In addition, VDMA sees itself as a platform that provides its member companies with various networks where they can discuss technological challenges, interdisciplinary issues and many other topics. The association was founded in 1892 and will celebrate its 125-year anniversary in 2017.
VDMA concentrates its efforts on eight key topics:
Markets and economy – A firm understanding of international markets and their conditions is crucially important for a highly export-oriented industry such as mechanical and plant engineering. VDMA provides its members with comprehensive country-specific and economic data, which they can then use as a planning basis for their business decisions.
Research and production – Innovative strength and top quality are the trademarks of German mechanical and plant engineering. To achieve this, VDMA provides its member companies with a comprehensive network, where new trends and technologies in production can be discussed so that they can forge new paths as part of Industrielle Gemeinschaftsforschung (industrial collective research, IGF). One of many examples here is Industrie 4.0.
Energy and environment – VDMA essentially supports the German federal government's energy and climate protection goals and promotes an ambitious implementation of the European Union's Energy Efficiency Directive. German mechanical and plant engineering makes an important contribution to this by providing and using energy efficient technologies. VDMA combines the topic areas of technology, research and energy policy in various formats such as the VDMA Forum Energy, where VDMA pools the energy policy-related activities of the associations and the sector’s expertise on energy. The Forum Energy also acts as a voice for the investment goods industry and represents the interests of mechanical and plant engineering towards policymakers and the public.
Social and economic policy – Mechanical and plant engineering is the largest industrial employer in Germany, with more than one million employees. VDMA's core activities therefore include analysis, commenting and discussion of social and economic policy issues. The Association publishes its joint positions on economic policies regarding the following topics on an annual basis: labor market and wage policy, foreign trade policy, education policy, securing a skilled workforce, energy policy, Europe policy, research policy, social security, tax policy, technology policy, environmental policy and a sustainable state.
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