How do EU spring makers fare? Interview with ESF President Paul-Bernd Vogtland

What is the current health state of the European spring industry? Are EU spring makers experiencing supply difficulties? What trends to envision for the future? To answer these and other questions, who is better than Paul-Bernd Vogtland, President of the European Spring Federation (ESF)? Mr. Vogtland, also Chairman of the Board of the German Spring Industry Association (VDFI), has just returned from the annual general assembly of the VDFI and from the wire show in Düsseldorf during which the International Spring Makers Conference was also held.

What is the mood for EU spring manufacturers?
Generally speaking, the first half year quite positive, but at the moment we have a lot of uncertainty. 2021 was better than expected. 2022 started very well until the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war – that was a true black swan event. This historical moment is marked by a unique overlapping of several crises: Covid's aftermath, supply chain disruptions, price increases, raw materials shortages, energy issues, and climate change are all matters of concern that have been stacked on top of each other in recent months. The order books are still quite full. If it continues like this, it is fine. But everybody feels insecure about what will happen in the second half of the year.

What about raw materials? Are EU spring manufacturers facing supply problems?
Overall, we didn't face serious supply problems yet, but we may have to deal with some in the future for new projects. There have been huge price hikes, which we could reverse on our customers only to a limited extent - as of 70% or 80%, max. 90%.

Did the Russia-Ukraine conflict have a (direct or indirect) impact on your business?
Of course, we deeply regret this war and the suffering that goes with it! The impacts to our branch are mostly indirect effects, as many steel mills, which are upstream in our supply chain, got some steel from that area. As the energy costs of the steel industry increased so much, the two problems added up and spilled downstream to us spring makers as well.

From a spring manufacturer's perspective, what are the most in-demand materials right now?
Lightweighting is still a big trend in the automotive industry. This leads to the prevalence of high-tensile materials: induction-heated, oil-tempered, chrome silicon wire, and so on. At the same time, there is also the opposite trend that goes against the grain, related to electromobility and much higher weights on the vehicles.

Is there collaboration among European spring manufacturers? What can ESF do to help members in their business development?
At ESF, we are committed to providing information and fostering a favorable exchange on the market situation to all members. What's important is that we're a technical-oriented association that aims to speak with one voice on an international level, especially when it comes to standardization relating to springs and spring materials.

What about the wire fair in Düsseldorf? What were your impressions?
The general opinion I have gathered over the last few meeting occasions is that quality has prevailed over quantity. The exhibition was probably not as international as before, but everybody was quite happy with the attendance. The fact that green steel has been talked about so heavily marks an epoch-making change in the industry. The theme of our ESF conference hit the target with our keynote speaker on this topic. I would like to take the opportunity to invite everybody to our next conference, which will be held in Barcelona on September 29, 2023.

Mr. Vogtland, the managing partner of the VDF Federn Group, was elected as President of ESF last March. Francesco Silvestri, President of the Italian Spring Makers Association ANCCEM, was elected Vice President, and Michael Hagedorn was appointed as new General Secretary. The ESF is a voluntary association whose information can be found online at www.esf-springs.com.

In the picture, Mr. Vogtland (right) together with Francesco Silvestri, ANCCEM President (left), at the last International Spring Makers Conference in Düsseldorf.