The first quarter of 2025 saw a significant decline of almost 25% compared to the same quarter last year. Reporting members of the FBDi recorded sales of €814 million, the lowest first-quarter figure since 2021.
Semiconductors suffered the biggest losses once again, falling 30.5% year-on-year to €492 million. Passive, electromechanical, and power supply components were more stable, with sales of €283 million for passive components representing a decline of 16.7%. Electromechanical components (-9.6%) and power supply components (-8.5%) performed comparatively well. A ray of hope comes from new orders, which rose to €799 million in the first quarter of 2025 – a 24.1% increase on the same quarter last year. With a book-to-bill ratio of 0.98, there is hope for a noticeable recovery in the second half of the year, with the possibility of achieving a result in line with the previous year overall, especially since 2024 also showed strong consolidation in the second half of the year.
FBDi Managing Director Andreas Falke said: “The economic forecasts for 2025 are the most challenging yet. Geopolitical tensions, rising tariffs, and fragile supply chains are causing uncertainty worldwide. The growing fragmentation of the global economy is having a significant impact on growth, with the global economy expected to expand by just 2% this year. Germany is particularly affected: according to the German Economic Institute, real GDP will fall by 0.2%. US trade policy is causing major disruptions to international trade, limiting global trade in goods to a growth rate of only 1.5% – a development that is having a particularly significant impact on the export-oriented German economy.
“Business and government must take bold steps to anticipate and respond to these massive changes. The companies that will be successful in the future are already redesigning their business models today, focusing on innovation, resilience, and sustainable cooperation. Robust networks with qualified distribution partners and a focus on innovation are therefore key to increasing resilience and proactively shaping the coming changes. The era of purely optimising the price of existing goods is over – now, creative solutions and strategic foresight are needed to ensure long-term success.”
