New opportunities across the Atlantic

The construction industry is a mainstay of the European economy and construction supply companies play an essential role in it. Europe remains the most important market for local companies. However, far-reaching structural problems such as a shortage of skilled labour, bureaucracy and a highly bureaucratised energy policy are increasingly hampering sustainable growth.

For a long time, Asia, especially China and Russia, were therefore seen as promising growth markets. Russia has no longer been a target market for most European producers since February 2022. However, China has also shown during the COVID-19 pandemic how quickly the world's second-largest economy can seal itself off, making it more difficult for foreign companies to be reliable, predictable and controlled in the country.

As a result, two of the previously prioritised future markets have tended to take a back seat, while the USA has moved more into the focus of decision-makers. The USA has one of the highest construction volumes in the world, characterised by stable growth rates. In addition, current developments such as the Inflation Reduction Act, CO2 reduction projects and increasing demands on the value of construction are fuelling the local construction industry.

And yet, despite the great attractiveness of the USA, many construction suppliers fail to enter or penetrate the market and are content with a negligible market share. A lack of expertise, products and services that are not adapted to the US market or strong regional differences within the country are just some of the reasons why foreign market players fail to realise their full potential.

In this study, we have therefore analysed the US market for construction suppliers in more detail, highlighted peculiarities and pitfalls and identified success factors for a sustainable market entry.

PLEASE NOTE: The study is currently only available in German.