ABSTRACT The present paper is part one of two of a report aiming at recommending future directions for the European surface technology industry to remain relevant and competitive. This first part analyses the present status of the competitiveness of the European surface finishing industry, and its relationship to the manufacturing sector, as a base for suggesting actions. Surface finishing is not a stand-alone industry, but an integrated part of manufacturing of most products and thereby an integrated part of the manufacturing chain and follows the rest of the manufacturing if offshored. The drivers for offshoring are changing, and automation of manufacturing makes offshoring less profitable. The European surface finishing sector is characterised by an annual turnover of about US$ 114 Bn, 900,000 employees, and an annual growth rate of 3.6%. Surface finishing accounts for about 5% of all manufacturing of products. About 1/3 of the surface finishing is estimated to be done by sub-contractors and 2/3 in-house. There is a large diversity in technology used and firm size throughout Europe. The average size of European subcontractors is between 11 and 12 employees with the majority being very small with less than 10 employees, which is a challenge for the future development that demands adoption of new technology, legislation, and cooperative structures.

中文翻译：

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欧洲表面技术的全球竞争力。第 1 部分：竞争力以及欧洲制造与表面精加工部门之间的关系

摘要 本文是一份报告的两部分之一，该报告旨在建议欧洲表面技术行业的未来发展方向，以保持相关性和竞争力。第一部分分析了欧洲表面处理行业竞争力的现状，及其与制造业的关系，作为提出行动建议的基础。表面处理不是一个独立的行业，而是大多数产品制造的一个组成部分，因此是制造链的一个组成部分，如果离岸，则跟随其余的制造。离岸外包的驱动因素正在发生变化，制造自动化使离岸外包的利润降低。欧洲表面处理行业的特点是年营业额约 1140 亿美元，员工 90 万人，年增长率为 3.6%。表面处理约占所有产品制造的 5%。大约 1/3 的表面处理估计由分包商完成，2/3 由内部完成。整个欧洲在使用的技术和公司规模方面存在很大差异。欧洲分包商的平均规模在 11 到 12 名员工之间，大多数非常小，不到 10 名员工，这对需要采用新技术、立法和合作结构的未来发展构成了挑战。