High energy costs, declining economic forecasts and the difficult situation on the global market have dominated the discourse in recent months. Supply chain congestion has not been a major topic. So, has the situation for suppliers recovered in 2024? The figures in reichelt elektronik’s latest supply chain report show that supply chains are still far from being back to normal. In this year’s study, marking the 4th annual study of this kind in a row, more than 1.600 industrial companies from Europe are surveyed by the independent survey institute OnePoll.
Little hope for improvement – supply chain problems remain widespread
Problems in supply chains are still widespread for European companies. This year, around three out of four companies (76%) reported major or moderate disruptions due to supply chain bottlenecks. More than half of the companies surveyed (63%) had to stop production for at least 20 days due to missing components – a huge loss for the companies affected. However, the average number of production days lost fell noticeably. While machines were still down for 33 days in 2023, this year the figure was around 22 days.
Spare parts for devices and machines (37%), sensors (31%) semiconductors (29%) and replacement parts for tools and machinery (26%) were the most difficult to obtain in 2024, quite similar to last year. Companies across Europe found the price increase for critical components (62%) even more challenging than the supply bottlenecks (54%).
How the supply chain influences product design
It is also interesting to see how strongly product availability influences the product range and product design. For example, 36 percent of respondents stated that they now pay even more attention to the long-term availability of components when developing new products. More than a third (38%) have also identified alternative suppliers for all or almost all components.
Pricing also plays a decisive role: 25 percent of companies have already removed a product from their range or permanently altered it because certain components became too expensive.
More diverse, more regional, more secure – what the supply chain should be
In order to better protect themselves against commodity shortages, most companies have opted for both long-term and short-term solutions. For example, 38 percent of companies have already increased their stock levels, while a further 42 percent plan to do so in 2025.
The long-term plan to regionalise and diversify supply chains is also already being implemented by some companies. For example, over a third (38%) have already switched to regional suppliers in order to be less dependent on international influences, while a further 40 percent intends to pursue this plan in the coming year.
However, events on the global market or geopolitical events are not the only drivers for companies to change their supply chains. A little over one in three companies (35%) have taken measures this year to increase the security of their supply chains and thus protect themselves against attacks. Almost half of companies (44%) are planning to take this step in the coming year. The influence of the Supply Chain Act is also clearly evident: 30 percent of the companies surveyed have changed a supplier this year in order to comply with the directive and a further 43 percent plan to do so within the next 12 months.
International crisis and what Europe can do
The rising cost of components (62%) is not the only factor increasing pricing pressures for European industrial companies. The respondents consider high energy costs (68%) to be the biggest obstacle. The challenging economic situation worldwide (61%) and in their own countries (58%) is also a problem for companies. The war in Ukraine (59%) and a potentially escalating conflict in the Middle East (52%) were cited as particularly negative influences, closely followed by possible or intensified trade conflicts between China and the EU (51%).
A look inwards shows that half of companies (51%) agree that the current government provides them with a solid basis for trade in an international context. What they would like to see from their governments in order to be even more successful is, above all, stronger protection for domestic industry against competitors from abroad – especially if these were supported by state subsidies, as is the case in China (36%). They also need relief packages or support programmes to reduce high costs (33%) and a reduction in bureaucracy (29%). They would also like to be able to enter into new trade partnerships with countries from Africa or South East Asia more easily (23%).
Conclusion
“Even though supply chain bottlenecks have received less attention this year in the face of equally important challenges such as high energy costs, this does not mean that the supply chain situation has eased,” summarises Christian Reinwald, Head of Product Management and Marketing at reichelt elektronik. “European companies still need to find clever ways to ensure efficiency, quality and to control costs in their production. The fact that companies are choosing both short and long-term solutions for this is a good sign.”
Images: reichelt elektronik, Adobe Stock
