AMA Association reports industry figures for the past quarter

In the third quarter, the sensor and measuring technology sector generated sales growth of plus four percent. Incoming orders remained stable with an increase of one percent. Overall, AMA members are therefore doing better than they forecast in the previous quarter.

The AMA Association for Sensors and Measurement (AMA) surveyed its approximately 450 members on economic development in the third quarter of 2023. AMA members generated a four percent increase in sales in the third quarter compared to the previous quarter. A comparison of the sales trend with the result for the third quarter of 2022 shows a significant increase in sales of seven percent.

Incoming orders in the industry stabilized in the third quarter and rose by 1% compared to the previous quarter. The industry is cautiously optimistic and currently expects growth of plus-minus-zero for the fourth quarter.

In line with the industry-wide increase in turnover of four percent and a one percent rise in orders, the survey shows a positive, stable book-to-bill ratio of 1.0. This is an indicator of the medium-term trend in the order situation and is defined as the ratio of incoming orders to turnover in the same period.

"The pleasing figures for the third quarter of 2023 reflect the robustness and resilience of our industry," says Thomas Simmons, Managing Director of the AMA Association, summarizing the results. "The four percent increase in sales and the stable order situation not only signal current strength, but also the confidence of user industries in innovative sensor and measurement technology. Our members are cautiously optimistic about the fourth quarter. However, they are confident that the industry's momentum will continue, even if some important customer markets are currently looking at the economic development with a subdued mood."

AMA Association awards prizes for developments in sensor and measurement technology

Berlin, Nov. 3, 2023 - The AMA Association for Sensor and Measurement (AMA) invites innovative minds from science and industry to apply for the AMA Innovation Award 2024. The search is on for novel research and development results in sensor and measurement technology. The deadline for entries is January 25, 2024.

Individuals and development teams with research and development solutions from sensor and measurement technology with recognizable market relevance - i.e. genuine innovation and not pure invention - are eligible to apply. The AMA Innovation Award comes with prize money of 10,000 euros. In addition, new and young companies can apply for the special 'Young Company' award. The conditions for this are that the company has not been on the market for longer than five years, has fewer than 50 employees and generates annual sales of less than 10 million euros. The winner in this special category will receive a free exhibition stand at SENSOR+TEST 2024.

"Apply with your new ideas from sensor and measurement technology and present them to a broad, international audience of experts at SENSOR+TEST 2024," says jury chairman Andreas Schütze of Saarland University. "Surprise us with your innovative developments. Whether established company or startup, national or international, individual developer or project team, we are very excited about the innovation dynamics of our industry."
The renowned AMA Innovation Award has been presented for 24 years. What makes it special is that the developers and development teams are honored for their achievements, not the companies or institutions behind them. The jury consists of experts from universities, research institutions and industry. They examine the scientific achievement, the degree of innovation of the development, but also the expected market opportunities.

The deadline for entries is January 25, 2024, and the nominations and winners of the special award will be announced at the AMA press conference on March 6, 2024. The winners of the AMA Innovation Award 2024 will be presented at the opening ceremony of SENSOR+TEST 2024 on June 11, 2024, in Nuremberg, where the nominated teams will exhibit their innovations.  

Conditions of participation and tender documents for the AMA Innovation Award 2024 and the special category 'Young Company' as well as brochures with the award winners and all applications from previous years can be found free of charge at: https://www.ama-sensorik.de/en/science/ama-innovation-award/

AMA Association reports industry development for past quarter

Sensors and Metrology industry reports a decline in sales and orders in the second Quarter of 2023 but is confident about the third quarter.

Berlin, September 29, 2023 - The AMA Association for Sensors and Measurement (AMA) surveyed its approximately 450 members on economic development in the second quarter. According to its own figures, the industry generated a three percent drop in sales in the second quarter, compared with the previous quarter. The industry thus fell short of expectations of plus minus zero.

However, when comparing the revenue development of the second quarter of 2023 with that of the second quarter of the previous year, the revenue of the sensor industry increased by plus five percent. In terms of new orders, AMA members saw a five percent decline in the second quarter of 2023, compared to the previous quarter.

Differences in sales trends between large and smaller companies are evident, with larger companies experiencing a greater decline in sales than smaller AMA members. Sales markets in the sensor and measurement technology and electrical engineering sectors developed comparatively well. Sales markets in the energy sector and railroad technology proved more difficult in the second quarter.

"Our members explain the drop in sales in the second quarter as a result of supply shortages during the Corona pandemic. As supply availability increased, their customers have been filling supply inventories heavily and are now trying to bring them back to normal levels," explained Thomas Simmons, AMA Association executive director. "As a result, sentiment among our members remains positive, and they are already projecting a three percent increase in sales again this quarter."

AMA Association reports positive development for the 1st quarter

Berlin, June 30, 2023 - The AMA Association for Sensors and Measurement surveys its 450 members quarterly on economic development. The industry generated sales growth of seven percent in the first quarter, compared to the previous quarter. Incoming orders rose by six percent at the beginning of the year, compared with the previous quarter. The industry is showing a positive overall trend. AMA members remain cautious and expect sales growth of plus minus zero percent for the second quarter.

While the sensor and measurement industry showed a slight decline in the fourth quarter of 2022, it picked up again in the first quarter. With sales up seven percent and orders up six percent, the result is a positive, stable book-to-bill ratio of 1.01. This is considered an indicator of the medium-term trend in the order situation and defines the ratio of incoming orders to sales over the same period.

The small and medium-sized (SME) AMA members achieved higher sales increases in the first quarter than the large enterprises and are more optimistic about the economic situation than the larger manufacturers. In terms of sales, suppliers to the electronics industry and the energy sector scored particularly well in the first quarter.   

"Overall, the sensor and measurement industry is well positioned to meet demand from user industries thanks to supply bottlenecks gradually coming to an end. Our members are investing in research and development to remain competitive and bring innovative products to market," said Thomas Simmons, executive director of the AMA Association. "The book-to-bill ratio is stable and, according to the IFO Institute, the inflation rate is expected to continue to decline in the coming months. This means medium price declines in input costs, first and foremost energy prices. This will also relieve the supplier industries in the medium term."

AMA starts the next years with new treasurer and proven team

Berlin, June 6, 2023 - In May, the general meeting of the AMA Association for Sensor and Measurement (AMA) elected its board of directors in rotation for the next two years.

The AMA members confirmed the re-election of the current board for the next period: Peter Krause (Prignitz Mikrosystemtechnik GmbH and Insenso GmbH) as chairman of the board, Christoph Kleye (SonoQ GmbH) as vice chairman, Rolf Slatter (ITK Dr. Kassen GmbH) as secretary. The two assessors Stefan Zimmermann (Leibnitz University Hannover) and Thomas Simmons (AMA Association, Managing Director) will also remain in office for another two years.

Long-time treasurer Johannes Steinebach did not stand for re-election but recommended his son David Steinebach (TWK Elektronik GmbH) as his successor. The AMA general meeting followed this recommendation and elected David Steinebach as the new AMA treasurer.

"We would like to thank the members for their trust in our work and we will continue this with great commitment. We welcome David Steinebach as a new board member and look forward to new impulses through rejuvenation. We would like to express our special thanks to Johannes Steinebach. He shaped the AMA Association for 20 years as treasurer, he was and is a great comrade-in-arms for us professionally and humanly, in good and in turbulent times. We are pleased that he will continue to support our work as a member of the AMA Council of Elders. For this, we thank Johannes Steinebach on behalf of the AMA members and the entire board," said Peter Krause, old and new AMA board chairman.

Berlin, May 9, 2023 - The AMA Association for Sensor and Measurement Technology (AMA) awarded the winning team from Quantum Technologies GmbH with the AMA Innovation Prize at the SMSI 2023 - Sensor and Measurement Science International Conference in Nuremberg on May 8. The all-optical quantum magnetometer impressed the jury members from research and industry across the board with its innovative solution approach and high market relevance. The development team consisting of Robert Staacke, Lutz Langguth, Romy Müller and Dominik Rajsp from Quantum Technologies GmbH in Leipzig, Germany, received the prize money of 10,000 euros and a special 'Young Company' award.

The QT-RH105 from Quantum Technologies is a fiber-coupled magnetic field sensor that measures magnetic field strength with purely optical precision. This quantum sensor exploits the magnetic field dependence of the spin states of nitrogen defect sites, called NV centers, in diamond and their fluorescence. The sensor head is no thicker than a human hair, chemically inert, non-magnetic, non-conducting and thus galvanically isolated. Compared to conventional semiconductor sensors, this opens up completely new areas of application in magnetic field sensor technology. The development was funded by the BMBF project FKZ:13N15491. (Brochure p. 8)

"We congratulate the development team of Quantum Technologies and are pleased that once again a young company receives both the AMA Innovation Award and a special prize. The measurement method is designed in such a way that the sensor does not require the use of microwaves. Its extreme detection sensitivity and wide detection range make it suitable for a wide range of applications. We can look forward to the further development of this young company, as well as other 2nd generation quantum sensors," said Professor Andreas Schütze, of Saarland University and AMA jury chairman, explaining this year's decision.

Brochure with all 2023 submissions
All accepted submissions will be published with a brief description of the innovation in the brochure 'AMA Innovation Award 2023 - the applicants', which can be downloaded online free of charge.

Applications for the Innovation Award 2024
Application forms for the AMA Innovation Award 2024 will be available from the end of October 2023. Individuals or development teams from companies and institutes can apply. For more information: www.ama-sensorik.de.

Sensor and measurement technology generated a ten percent increase in sales in 2022, compared with the previous year's result. For the current year, the industry does not currently anticipate further sales growth. Nevertheless, the industry is showing itself to be future-oriented and invested 18 percent more than in the previous year and is planning a further increase of eleven percent this year. The export ratio rose by 15 percentage points. AMA members hired a total of six percent more employees than 2021. However, this also shows that in some areas it takes many months to find the right skilled worker.

Berlin, March 2023 - In January 2023, the AMA Association for Sensor and Measurement (AMA) surveyed its members on the economic development of the past fiscal year. According to its own information, the industry generated an overall increase in sales of ten percent, compared to the previous year. In the fourth quarter of 2022, incoming orders declined, which is one reason why the outlook for the 2023 financial year for sensor and measurement technology is more subdued. AMA members currently do not expect any sales growth for fiscal year 2023.

Investments in the innovative sector
AMA members invested about 18 percent more in 2022 than in the previous year and plan to increase investments by another eleven percent in the current fiscal year. In doing so, industry representatives are sending a clear signal about the future viability of sensor and measurement technology.

Exports regain momentum
The export ratio of sensor and measurement technology rose by 15 percentage points to 65 percent in 2022, after declining by twelve percentage points in the Corona year 2021. As a result, the export ratio picked up significantly again and is above the average export ratio for the industry as a whole of 50 percent.  

Seeking and finding skilled workers
The number of employees increased by six percent in the past year. The association surveyed its members on the difficulty of filling vacancies. The search for personnel in the IT and research and development sectors proved to be particularly challenging. AMA members need an average of eight to nine months to fill such a position. The situation is somewhat more relaxed in production and administration; these positions can be filled in three months on average.  

Summary statement
"Despite a very positive overall economic result, our members are cautiously optimistic about the current year. " says Thomas Simmons, managing director, AMA Association for Sensor and Measurement Technology. "AMA members are planning eleven percent higher capital expenditures and further staff expansion this year. Only with regard to sales is our industry showing restraint and is currently expecting zero growth. For all the caution in the sales forecast, however, our industry has so far largely defied the economic consequences of supply chain problems, the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis."

International Congress on Sensor, Measurement and Metrology in Nuremberg, Germany

Berlin, March 10, 2023 - The AMA Association for Sensor and Measurement Science invites to the international congress: Sensor and Measurement Science International (SMSI) 2023. The congress will be held in Nuremberg, Germany, from May 8-11, 2023, in parallel with the SENSOR+TEST 2023 trade fair. The official program of SMSI 2023 is now available online.  

The SMSI focuses thematically on three pillars: sensors, measurement technology and metrology. The lectures follow a scientific focus with the aim to show new trends, methods, findings and applications in these pillars. This year's main topics are quantum sensing, quantum metrology, optical biosensors, smart measurement and sensor systems, metrology in the digital age, nanometrology and nanofabrication, and Kibble and Planck scales.

In addition to technical presentations, tutorials, a science slam and poster talks, SMSI 2023 invites interested parties to attend international plenary lectures. Among them, Professor Wolfgang Koch from Fraunhofer FKIE will highlight the prospects for AI-driven systems for fusing data from multiple sensors, Emma Wooliams from the National Physical Laboratory (UK) will present Metrology for Earth Observation. Heinrich Heiss of Infineon Technologies AG reports on MEMS audio activities, Dariusz Krakowski of Airbus discusses sensor applications in aircraft, and Professor Georg E. Fantner of Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne explains AFM metrology at the nanoscale.

The congress will be held in English, and the full SMSI 2023 program, registration information and registration fees are now available at: https://www.smsi-conference.com/