German mining equipment manufacturers expecting record year

Mining equipment manufacturers in Germany are expecting a record year in 2019. Industry association VDMA Mining predicts global sales will rise by 38% to around €5bn. In Germany itself, manufacturers are expected to increase their sales by 10% to €110mn. Commenting on the figures at the company’s annual event, VDMA Mining’s Chairman, Dr. Michael Schulte Strathaus, said the domestic market had become "rather a marginal phenomenon" due to the decision to phase out ignite-fired power generation and the decreasing opportunities to continue producing domestic raw materials. In addition, he noted that the increasingly difficult spatial planning and the over-planning of deposits are becoming more and more important. Therefore, for the coming year, the VDMA expects domestic revenues to change only slightly at best.