In a cavernous production hall in D\u00fcsseldorf last fall, the somber tones of a horn player accompanied the final act of a century-old factory.<\/p>\n
Amid the flickering of flares and torches, many of the 1,600 people losing their jobs stood stone-faced as the glowing metal of the plant\u2019s last product \u2014 a steel pipe \u2014 was smoothed to a perfect cylinder on a rolling mill. The ceremony ended a 124-year run that began in the heyday of German industrialization and weathered two world wars, but couldn\u2019t survive the aftermath of the energy crisis.<\/p>\n
There have been numerous iterations of such finales over the past year, underscoring the painful reality facing Germany: its days as an industrial superpower may be coming to an end. Manufacturing output in Europe\u2019s biggest economy has been trending downward since 2017, and the decline is accelerating as competitiveness erodes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s not a lot of hope, if I\u2019m honest,\u201d said Stefan Klebert, chief executive officer of GEA Group AG \u2014 a supplier of manufacturing machinery that traces its roots to the late 1800s. \u201cI am really uncertain that we can halt this trend. Many things would have to change very quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n 🇩🇪 #Germany<\/a>\u2019s Days as an Industrial Superpower Are Coming to an End – Bloomberghttps:\/\/t.co\/F0E4eUlAXA<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/DCJWqTqSPI<\/a><\/p>\n — Christophe Barraud🛢🐳 (@C_Barraud) February 10, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n