In January this year, German steel and metal processing companies increased their
production by three percent compared to the same month last year, according to German steel and metal industry association WSM.
Meanwhile, in January new orders for German steel and metal processing companies decreased by 2.6 percent year on year, while domestic orders rose 0.7 percent and new orders from abroad fell by 8.2 percent, both compared to January 2011.
The association said that restrained purchase activity suggests braked development for the coming months, so that the
production increase might decrease in relation to the dynamic level of the previous year. However, in the second half of the year a catching-up process is expected.