Metals & Electronics

In this section, Statista presents the most relevant and up-to-date facts relating to the metals and electronics industries.

These industries comprise a wide range of sectors. Among others, the electronics and engineering industries include the following areas: automation, medical electrical devices, lighting, batteries, as well as the manufacture of machine tools, cars and other vehicles, rolling stock, ships and aircraft. The metals industry is an essential contributor to the transportation equipment manufacturing industry and the construction sector. In addition to that, the past decade has seen a growing use of metals in batteries and consumer electronics products, including tablets, smartphones and television sets. However, as China is ramping up production capacity for steel and aluminum, overcapacities remain a constant focus of discussion in the sector. Today, China’s Hebei is the world’s third-largest steel producer, while Chalco is the market leader in the aluminum industry.

Regarding the electronics sector, a number of trends augur well for the industry: In light of growing climate change awareness, alternative propulsion and powertrain technologies are gaining in importance, and, as many countries have begun to phase-out incandescent light bulbs, sales of LEDs (light-emitting diodes) and OLEDs (organic light-emitting diodes) are currently experiencing a boom. Furthermore, the rise in labor costs in emerging markets has triggered shipments of service and industrial robots, particularly in Asia and Europe.