The German intralogistics industry: growth of three percent (production volume of EUR 27.7 billion) reserved

Published on: May 12, 2025 / update from: May 12, 2025 - Author: Konrad Wolfenstein

The German intralogistics industry: growth of three percent (production volume of 27.7 billion euros) with reservations - Image: Xpert.digital

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The German intralogistics industry records a production volume of 27.7 billion euros for 2024 and thus a nominal growth of three percent. But behind this positive number there is a more differentiated development: order declines of nine percent and a shrinking export volume indicate an increasingly challenging market situation. The VDMA specialist association conveyor technology and intralogistics predicts a decline in production volume for 2025. The industry is located in a area of tension between the usage of order stocks and the growing international competition, especially by China.

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The current location of the conveyor technology and intralogistics manufacturers

The manufacturers of conveyor technology and intralogistics from Germany reached an estimated production volume of 27.7 billion euros in 2024, which corresponds to an increase of three percent compared to the previous year. However, this increase is not a reason for undivided joy, as the VDMA specialist association said. Jan Drömer, CEO of the specialist association, explained the situation: "Some of this production volume comes from old order stocks. This buffer has now been used up". This statement illustrates the concern about the future development of the industry because the order situation has deteriorated significantly.

Development of the order input

Compared to 2023, the industry recorded a decline in order of nine percent in 2024. This declining development is in contrast to the previous year: in 2023, the intralogistics industry was still a very successful year with a production volume of around 27 billion euros, which corresponded to growth of nine percent compared to 2022. At that time, the industry benefited from a strong foreign business and a significantly increased willingness to invest in the customer industry.

Export development and international comparison

The entire export volume of the German intralogistics industry decreased by five percent to 19.8 billion euros in 2024 compared to the previous year. Europe remained the largest market with a volume of around 12.2 billion euros, which also corresponds to a decrease of five percent compared to the previous year. The most important customer countries were still the USA with 2.5 billion euros (minus nine percent), followed by France at 1.3 billion euros (minus ten percent) and the Netherlands with around one billion euros (plus six percent).

In international comparison, there is a remarkable development: Measured on the international exports, China remains at the top of the exporters. The Middle Kingdom increased its entire export volume in 2023 to 26.8 billion euros, an increase of 13 percent. Germany took second place in 2023 with an export volume of 20.8 billion euros, followed by Italy third with 9.1 billion euros. Overall, the world export volume in intralogistics 2023 was 122.5 billion euros, an increase of 13 percent compared to 2022.

Forecasts and future prospects

In view of the decline in order and the tense economic situation, the VDMA specialist association for 2025 assumes a decline in the production volume from two percent to 27.2 billion euros. This forecast underlines the challenges with which the industry is confronted, but also shows that the expected decline is moderate.

Technological developments and innovations

Despite the economic challenges, there are also positive developments in the industry. The Fraunhofer Institute for Material River and Logistics IML has developed for the Association of Promotion Technology and Instalogistics of the VDMA Technology Road Maps for Instalogistics 2025. These roadmaps show which technological developments are necessary by 2025 to meet the future requirements of Industry 4.0.

The digital transformation to self-optimizing intralogistics systems is made possible by development steps in the technology, communication and data science technology. These technological innovations could give the industry new impulses and strengthen their competitiveness.

Structural changes in the industry

The dynamics of the industry can also be seen in structural changes. An example of this is the renaming of the specialist department of driverless transport systems into mobile robots within the VDMA specialist association. This name change reflects the technological development that has continuously developed towards Autonomous Mobile Robots in recent years.

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Challenges and risks

The intralogistics industry faces various challenges that will influence their further development. The most important are:

Economic and political uncertainties

The global recovery is still long in coming, and growth forecasts were even withdrawn for Germany. In addition, there are unchanged geopolitical challenges and uncertainties that have a negative impact on the investment behavior. Jan Drömer, the new CEO of the VDMA specialist association, also emphasizes that companies are faced with major challenges: “Economic and political uncertainties and bureaucratic hurdles block in many places in day-to-day business”.

International competitiveness

The increasing competition from China is another challenge. China has overtaken Germany at exports and further expands its position as a leading exporter of intralogistics products. This development could endanger the market position of German companies in the long term.

Innovative business models and cooperation

Despite the challenges, Jan Drömer also sees development opportunities for the areas of intralogistics and conveyor technology. He refers to Manufacturing-X as an exciting field of action for companies in the field of intralogistics and conveyor technology. Such initiatives could promote new cooperations and business models and thus strengthen the innovative strength of the industry.

Technological change: This is how intralogistics remain competitive

The German intralogistics industry is in a phase of the transformation. After strong growth in recent years, current developments indicate cooling. The decline in order and the falling export numbers are warning signals that the industry should take seriously.

At the same time, technological innovations and new business models offer opportunities for future growth. The technology roadmaps for 2025 show possible development paths that can strengthen the competitiveness of German intralogistics companies.

The forecast of the VDMA specialist association for a moderate decline in production volume in 2025 indicates that the industry has a certain level of stability despite the challenges. It will be crucial for future development how companies react to the changed market conditions and to what extent they can successfully implement innovative technologies and business models.

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