This year, NF-metal foundries in Germany are expected to have equalled if not exceeded the record turnover and production levels of 2000. According to the Joint Association of German Metal Foundries (GDM), production during the first nine months of 2001 was up by 1.2 percent. For next year, Hans Dieter Honsel, President of the GDM, expects "to slide into a flatter growth rate". In any event, the clear slow-down of the economy and its current recessive elements indicate less buoyant prospects in the coming months. Expectations are that the world economy will begin to recover by around the middle of the year, with some restored vitality in Europe and Germany as well. Against this background Honsel expects that growth will be slower, although there are at present no indications of any drastic quantity cuts in 2002. The automobile industry will again provide important support especially for light metal casting, even though the dynamic development seen in recent years will abate to some extent.
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