In a recent article , the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA) states that the mechanical engineering industry benefits from Swedish customers’ high standards. One reason the country is deemed economically attractive is its strong affinity for Industry 4.0 applications and automation solutions, as well as its high research quota. In the ranking of the most important sales markets for the German mechanical engineering industry, Sweden currently comes in 14th: From January through November 2018, the export volume amounted to €3.2 billion.

The German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association (ZVEI) also has a lot of positive things to say about Sweden. The Swedish have a very positive attitude to technical progress. For instance, the use of AI and robots is more widely accepted in Sweden than in other EU countries. The country frequently deploys products from the German electrical industry here: From January through November 2018, German exports to Northern Europe’s largest economy totaled €4.6 billion – placing Sweden in 11th place in the European and 13th place in the global customer rankings.