According to data from CBS, producers expect to invest around 30% more in tangible fixed assets in 2024 than in 2023. These high expectations are partly the result of investments originally planned for 2023 but postponed to 2024. According to the companies, about a fifth of industrial investments are aimed at sustainability and energy savings, while for companies in the energy supply sector this figure even exceeds half. These findings are based on the spring survey of investment expectations conducted by CBS.
The data for this survey was collected between mid-January and mid-May 2024. Companies with 10 or more employees across five different sectors reported their expectations for investments in tangible assets such as buildings, machinery, vehicles and computers.
Positive outlook for the energy supply sector
Companies in the energy supply sector are particularly optimistic, expecting to invest more than a third extra in 2024. This concerns companies dealing in electricity, natural gas, steam and cooled air, and those involved in their production or distribution. Water companies and waste managers also anticipate significant growth in investments. In contrast, construction companies expect a decline in investments of one third compared to 2023.
Within the industry, an increase of about 30% in investments is expected in 2024. Growth is anticipated especially in the electrical engineering and machinery industry (+60%), refineries and chemicals (+48%) and the textile industry (+29%). By contrast, companies in the wood and building materials sector and the paper and graphics industry expect a decline of about a quarter.
Sustainability and energy savings as priorities
On average, industrial companies expect that a fifth of their investments in 2024 will be aimed at sustainability and energy savings. About 6% of investments will be used to reduce emissions, just over 5% for energy savings (such as insulation and solar panels), almost 5% for circular production (reuse of raw materials and waste), and just over 3% for digital investments. Within the textile, clothing and leather industry, relatively the most is invested in sustainability and energy savings, with a focus on energy savings and circular production.
Of the five sectors surveyed, the share of sustainable investments is highest in energy supply, with around 54% of total investments aimed at energy savings. For water companies and waste management firms, it is expected that around 27% of investments in 2024 will be sustainable, with an emphasis on energy savings and circular production. In the construction sector, a fifth of expected investments are aimed at sustainability, mainly to reduce emissions.
Investments in tangible fixed assets in 2022
In 2022, large companies in the industry made the largest investments in tangible fixed assets, totalling over 10.4 billion euros. Within the industry, refineries and the chemical industry were the largest investors at 3.1 billion euros, followed by the food and beverage industry with 2.2 billion euros.
Companies in the energy supply sector invested around 5.6 billion euros in tangible fixed assets in 2022. Of the five sectors surveyed, companies in mining and quarrying invested the least, with half a billion euros.
Expected investments by type in 2024
The following table shows the expected investments by type and sector for 2024:
| Sector | Emissions (%) | Energy (%) | Circular (%) | Digital (%) | Other (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy supply | 6.9 | 46.4 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 46.5 |
| Water companies and waste management | 4.1 | 11.5 | 9.7 | 1.8 | 72.9 |
| Construction | 13.6 | 5.6 | 1.7 | 5.2 | 73.9 |
| Industry | 5.8 | 5.6 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 81.3 |
| Mining and quarrying | 4.3 | 1.8 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 88.2 |
These figures show that the focus on sustainability and energy savings varies considerably across sectors, particularly within energy supply and industry.