Mechanical Engineering provides the equipment and machines for all sectors in industry. It is at the heart of the performance of industrial processes, of the cost competitiveness and of the energy and raw materials efficiency of our industries. Mechanical Engineering is also the technological foundation for the current major transformations of our productive systems. It supplies the wind turbines for the energy transition, the connected machines for the “Industry 4.0” concept, and the sorting and purifying technologies for the Circular Economy.
It is the largest sector within the remit of industriAll Europe, with 9.5% of the industrial value added, and employing more than 3 million highly qualified workers, in production, design, installation and maintenance. It is a world-leading sector, with a global market share of 36%. Despite hard competition from Japan, China and the United States, the sector is strong, and growing, at a rate anticipated to reach 3.8% /year over the next 10 years.
In this sector, industriAll Europe has pioneered investigations on the social consequences of the transition to sustainability, and on means to overcome them. We are also active in shaping European policy making in this field, specifically in the area of the Circular Economy. The Mechanical Engineering sector is part of the Metal, Engineering & Technology (MET) Social Dialogue.