“On one hand, we are aware that we are successfully coping with the challenges of the German market and have been able to export increasingly to a market that is particularly difficult. However, concerning the fair, we do not find it to be as interesting a tool as it was in previous years,” stated Rafael Campos Pereira to Lusa.
The executive vice-president of the Association of Metallurgical, Metalworking and Related Industries of Portugal (AIMMAP) revealed that Portugal brings “growing innovation” and “competitive prices” to the Hannover Messe, which begins this Monday.
“2024 was a good year for Portugal’s metal exports with regard to the German market. Despite Germany being somewhat in crisis, and some potential Portuguese metal clients going through a difficult phase, the truth is that in 2024 we grew by 8% in this market. It was an excellent year from that perspective, especially in a year when global exports remained stable from 2023 to 2024,” he emphasized.
The Hannover Messe is considered the world’s leading industrial fair, bringing together leading companies in automation, electrification, digitalization, and energy supply sectors.
“We know that in this 2025 edition, the fair will have a smaller scale. This is a problem that has been worsening in recent years. The fair is losing importance because it cannot attract as much interest from exhibitors and even visitors,” lamented Rafael Campos Pereira.
Germany was the third destination for Portuguese exports in this sector, moving to the second place in 2024, surpassing France.
“Production technologies and the automotive industry are the two segments where we are being particularly competitive in Germany,” highlighted the executive vice-president of AIMMAP.
Less than a month after the early elections in Germany, the Bundestag (German Parliament) approved an unprecedented package of measures as a result of an agreement between the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), its Bavarian sister party CSU, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), and the Greens.
The objective of this change is to increase investment in defense and infrastructure in light of the war in Ukraine and pressure from the United States. The debt brake has been one of the pillars of German financial policy.
The package included the creation of a 500 billion euro investment fund to modernize infrastructure and stimulate economic growth.
“With a more stable political situation, we believe the situation can improve. Investment in industry, infrastructure, and defense are three areas that are interesting for our companies. We are potential suppliers for all these areas. Our companies are increasingly channeling components in the defense industry,” stated Rafael Campos Pereira.
The Hannover Messe begins on March 31 and ends on April 4, featuring approximately 4,000 exhibitors. Canada is the partner country for this edition.
