De Toekomst Smeden: Een analyse van het toekomstperspectief van de Nederlandse metaalindustrie

The Dutch metals industry is highly diversified

• The Dutch metals industry is made up of two main subsectors: the basic metals sector, focused on metal production and dominated by a few large companies; and the metal products sector, centred on the production of secondary or finished metal products and made up of a large number of small and medium enterprises.

The metals industry plays an important role in the Dutch economy

• The metal products sector supplies important inputs for key sectors of the Dutch economy, such as the maritime, agricultural, construction, and high-tech sectors, and functions as an attractor for economic activity. While the basic metals sector adds less economic value, it offers strategic autonomy by key basic materials.

The metals industry forms a unique innovative ecosystem

• The Dutch metal products sector is particularly innovative and flexible. Networks of small and medium enterprises collaborate to produce high-quality, custom-made products for key sectors of the Dutch economy. These networks are characterised by relations of trust and goodwill between small and medium enterprises and large companies, and have often developed together over the course of decades.

The ecosystem of the Dutch metals industry is under growing strain

• The industry faces several significant challenges. The industry is failing to attract a sufficient number of skilled workers. The relatively high cost of labour in the Netherlands also means that the industry is struggling to compete. Small and medium enterprises are struggling to invest and automate, and the industry perceives the regulatory landscape as uncertain.