The business climate index for the German printing and media industry has deteriorated slightly. The seasonally adjusted business climate index, calculated by the BVDM, showed a 1.5 percent decline compared to the previous month. The current business situation remained unchanged, while expectations for the coming six months worsened.
In July 2026, decision-makers surveyed by the ifo Institute rated their current business situation the same as in the previous month. Assessments regarding the next six months were more pessimistic. The seasonally and calendar-adjusted business situation index showed no significant change in July 2026 compared to the previous month; this trend reflects the fact that companies’ assessments of their situation remained unchanged. Seven percent of the surveyed firms rated their current business situation as positive, 25 percent as negative, and 68 percent as satisfactory.
Assessments of order backlogs worsened again in July. Seven percent of the surveyed companies rated their order backlog as positive, 55 percent as satisfactory, and 38 percent as negative. This also impacted capacity utilization among printing and media companies in July, which stood three percentage points below the figure for the same month last year. Fifty-eight percent of the surveyed companies reported production constraints; a lack of orders was the leading factor (cited by 46 percent), followed by a shortage of skilled labor (cited by 23 percent).
Business expectations among companies in the printing and media industry for the coming six months were once again more pessimistic in July 2026. Seven percent of companies expect an improved business situation, while 33 percent anticipate a downturn. Sixty percent of respondents expect business trends to remain stable.
BVDM
The Bundesverband Druck und Medien e. V. (BVDM) is the umbrella organization for the German printing industry. Acting as an employers’ association, a political business association, and a technical trade association, it represents the printing industry’s positions and objectives vis-à-vis policymakers, public authorities, trade unions, and the supplier industry. The BVDM is supported by eight regional associations. At the international level, it operates through its membership in Intergraf and FESPA. The printing industry currently comprises around 6,300—predominantly small and medium-sized—enterprises employing more than 99,000 people subject to social security contributions.
