Over the past five years, the screw and rivet manufacturing sector has benefited from increasing construction activity in Germany and high construction activity in export markets such as China. However, the slowdown in industrial production in Germany, combined with the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the economy, has had an even greater impact on the industry, resulting in an overall decline in sales averaging 1.3% per year from 2017 to 2022. In 2019, industry sales fell significantly due to the declining production volume of the German industry and the consequently lower demand and willingness to pay of important sales markets. The sharpest decline in sales occurred in 2020.

      The industry is expected to develop positively again over the next five years. However, a full recovery from the sales slumps in XXX and XXX is not expected before XXX. By XXX, sales should increase by an average of X.X% per year to a total of €X.X billion. While the industry's export growth, which has helped stabilize overall sales to date, is expected to continue over the next five years despite strained international economic relations, domestic construction is expected to show reduced growth momentum in the future. By contrast, lightweight automotive construction is expected to have a favorable effect on sales by manufacturers of screws and rivets.