Inhalt

Mechanical engineering in NRW

Mechanical engineering is a core area of the economy in NRW and the biggest industrial employer with more than 198,700 employees (20.5 percent of the German total in this industry). It determines innovation more than almost any other sector. The very large majority of the industry has a small and medium-sized company structure. A dense network of universities with institutes geared to production technology provides world-class potential, enabling industrial development to be strengthened by the necessary scientific support. In 2011, the share of industry sales accounted for by the around 1,400 NRW businesses was 22.3 percent. The largest companies in the industry include Claas, GEA, Gildemeister and SMS.

Number of companies * NRW's share of German companies	1,383 23.1 %
Employees * NRW's share of German employees	198,710 20.5 %
Sales * Thereof foreign sales NRW's share of German sales	48.0 EUR bn 61.5 % 22.3 %
Average monthly earnings	3,968 EUR
Exports ** NRW's share of German exports	29.6 EUR bn 18.4%
Imports ** NRW's share of German imports	12.0 EUR bn 16.9 %

Source: IT.NRW; data: as of 2011
* the figures refer to mechanical engineering (C 28) and companies with 20 and more employees; they are based on the new "Classification of Economic Activities (WZ 2008)".
** the figures refer to foreign trade statistics North Rhine-Westphalia