European Foundry Industry Sentiment Indicator (FISI) with a continuous increase in March 2025
March 2025 was the next consecutive month in a row, that presented an improvement of the European foundry industry’s situation. The European Foundry Industry Sentiment Indicator (FISI), conducted monthly by the European Foundry Federation, shows signs of an economic recovery. Compared to the data from February 2025, the FISI increased from 93.4 to 94.6.
This increase shows an improvement in the industry's outlook, coming closer to the neutral 100-point mark. This development is partly due to positive expectations for the second half of 2025, as businesses anticipate potential growth and stabilization in demand.
In March 2025, the Business Climate Indicator (BCI), an index published by European Commission was at the level of - 0.73 and according to the latest news, the euro zone's GDP growth is expected to increase by +1.4% in 2025.

Data shows a normalization of the situation in the eurozone's manufacturing sector. The Eurozone Manufacturing PMI edged up to 48.7 in April 2025, the highest in 27 months, from 48.6 in March and surpassing forecasts of 47.5, almost approaching the 50-point threshold that separates growth from contraction. Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) in the Euro area is an indicator of the economic health of the manufacturing sector. It is based on such indicators as: new orders, inventory levels, production, supplier deliveries and the employment environment.
Observing the incoming results of the influence of the current geopolitical actions on the European markets - such as: tariffs implemented by USA, implementation of CBAM, ongoing war close to the EU borders – the European foundry industry continuously indicates a strong will to recover and develop, adopting to the current conditions.
The FISI – European Foundry Industry Sentiment Indicator – is the earliest available composite indicator providing information on the European foundry industry performance. It is published by EFF every month and is based on survey responses of the European foundry industry. The EFF members are asked to give their assessment of the current business situation in the foundry sector and their expectations for the next six months.
The BCI – Business Climate Indicator – is an indicator published by the European Commission. The BCI evaluates development conditions of the manufacturing sector in the euro area every month and uses five balances of opinion from industry survey: production trends, order books, export order books, stocks and production expectations.
Please find the chart enclosed or combined with additional information at eff-eu.org/.
Background information on EFF:
EFF is the umbrella organisation of the national European foundry associations. The organisation, founded in 1953, has 22 European member states and works to promote the economical, technical, legal and social interests of the European foundry industry. At the same time, EFF implements activities which aim at developing national foundry industries and co-ordinating their shared international interests. The General Secretariat is situated in Düsseldorf since 1997.
EFF represents 4 400 European foundries. Nearly 260 000 employees are generating a turnover of 39 billion Euro. European foundries are recruiting 20 000 workers and engineers per year. The main customer industries are e.g. the automotive, the general engineering and the building industries as well as the electrical engineering industry. No industrial sector exists without using casted components.
Further information at eff-eu.org/ and LinkedIn EFF.
EFF Contact:
Witold Dobosz
EFF – European Foundry Federation
mail: info@eff-eu.org
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