Innovations in the metals industry

The Centre of European Economic Research has has been studying the innovati veness of German trade and industry since 1993. A representative cross-sect ion of some 2500 enterprises in the manufacturing sector is surveyed every year with regard to its innovation activities and innovation strategies. Innovation activities in the metals industry have been developing quite pos itively since 1998 when the negative trend, revealed by major innovative in dicators since 1995, was brought to a halt. The number of companies that ha ve launched new products or introduced new production processes in order to become more competitive has markedly increased. As a result of this trend the turnover share of product and market innovations has also experienced a corresponding rise. Let us hope that this positive development will contin ue into the next year, because innovations have been and will remain the ke y factor for the industry's competitiveness and capability of providing job s.