WirtschaftsVereinigung Metalle e.V. (WVM)
©WVM
WirtschaftsVereinigung Metalle (WVM; Association of Metals) represents the requests and concerns of generators and processors of Non Ferrous (NF) metals. It was founded in 1946 and 641 companies with 113.000 employees belong to WVM nowadays. In 2008 the industry generated a total revenue of 45 billion Euros. After the US and Japan the German NF metals industry is the third largest in the Western civilisation.
WVM’s task for its member companies is to represent the German generators and processors towards politics and economy. The most important areas in which WVM operates are: environment, climate and energy policy, foreign trade, policy of medium-sized businesses, traffic policy, tax policy as well as public relations. Moreover, it supports market transparency by statistical services and market analysis in cooperation with the member companies and the industry associations. WVM supports practical research for metal products through the Stifterverband Metalle (Association for supporting research, innovation and technology in the German metals industry). The support of the work on norms for the metals industry as well as the dialogue with the public are further tasks. As umbrella organisation WVM represents the common interests of generators and processors of light metals (aluminium, magnesium etc.), non-ferrous metals (copper, zinc, lead, nickel etc.) and rare metals (gallium, germanium).
The future development of the German NF metals industry depends heavily on the economic-political conditions on national and international level for the industry in Germany.
These contain:
- internationally competitve energy costs
- realistic environmental standards to maintain international competitiveness
- open markets, mainly for obtaining raw materials and in export.
- a growth-orientated tax and employment policy
