OE-A members expect sales growth of 7% this year, down from 14% in the previous survey. “Nevertheless, the mood remains positive: printed electronics continues to grow, despite geopolitical tensions and economic challenges. The industry is clearly looking to the future, as evidenced by an improved forecast for 2027, with expected growth of 10%,” says Hecker.
The OE-A Business Climate Survey, conducted semi-annually, gathers information from OE-A members across the entire value chain, including R&D institutes, material suppliers, manufacturers, and end users. It provides qualitative data on industry trends, sales growth, and market outlook, offering an overview of the current state and future direction of the industry. The survey is conducted by the OE-A, an international working group within the VDMA.
The OE-A forecasts 10% sales growth by 2027.
The survey shows that the industry as a whole remains very confident: 73% of OE-A members surveyed expect the printed electronics industry to continue growing this year (October 2025: 58%). In the current survey, a third of participants stated they plan to increase production investment in the next six months, while 70% of companies intend to maintain their current investment level. Regarding employment, 84% of members plan to hire more staff, up from just 30% in the October 2025 survey. The increased focus on innovation is also encouraging: 94% of companies want to expand their R&D activities (October 2025: 74%).
Optimism prevails.
These results are significantly higher than those of the previous survey. “Despite lower revenue growth expectations, the business climate is more positive in many respects compared to last year. The data clearly show that the overall economic situation is influencing our industry, but not holding it back. At the same time, more intensive R&D activities and increased investment and employment demonstrate that companies are actively preparing for a promising period in a dynamic market,” explains Klaus Hecker.
