Study on the transformation of the vehicle and supplier industry in Bavaria: status quo and prospects
The automotive industry is facing considerable challenges: The legally accelerated transition from the combustion engine to electromobility and the advancing automation require considerable efforts from companies. This is the only way to secure competitiveness and value creation in Bavaria in the long term, but little is known about how the companies in the vehicle and supplier industry based in Bavaria are prepared for the transformation and to what extent the potential effects differ from region to region.
The aim of this study, conducted in collaboration with transform.by and Roland Berger, was to carry out a comprehensive review of the vehicle and supplier industry in Bavaria. With the help of a specially compiled data set with information on company locations, turnover, employment and product portfolios, among other things, the prospects in terms of opportunities and risks for the regions of Bavaria were analysed.
Methodological approach
In the study on the transformation of the vehicle and supplier industry in Bavaria, a comprehensive data set was compiled comprising 2,220 companies. This data, determined on the basis of various databases and company surveys, was used to analyse company-specific information such as locations, turnover and employee numbers. The companies were categorised into 'threatened business areas' and 'transformation opportunity areas' based on their product portfolio. The data was analysed both for Bavaria as a whole and at regional level in order to understand and illustrate the effects of the industrial transformation.
The most important facts in a nutshell:
- Threatened business segment: Around 10 per cent of vehicle and supplier companies in Bavaria belong to business segments that are threatened by the transition away from the combustion engine to electromobility. Around two thirds of all products are directly linked to the internal combustion engine.
- Employment structure: There are around 450,000 employees in the automotive and supplier industry in Bavaria. At around 196,000, the number of employees (44 per cent) at companies in fields of opportunity slightly outweighs those in threatened business areas with around 179,000 employees (40 per cent).
- Cross-industry activities: Companies that manufacture products for the combustion engine have an above-average presence in other sectors - particularly in mechanical engineering.
- SMEs and medium-sized companies: At 29 per cent, the proportion of companies in fields of opportunity, on the other hand, is significantly higher than that in the threatened business segment. Around 90 per cent of these companies are micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or medium-sized companies with fewer than 750 employees.
- Product categories in opportunity fields: The products of the companies in opportunity fields can be assigned in particular to the product categories of materials, vehicle construction and production.
- Regional differences: There are significant differences between the regions in Bavaria in terms of the companies located there and their respective product portfolios. This means that the regions also differ greatly in terms of their employee structure and activities in areas of opportunity and threatened business areas.