The logo of 4JET, a German firm that makes industrial laser processing technology, is pictured on a facade of the company's headquarters in Alsdorf, western Germany, on February 10, 2026. "In all key industrial sectors, China has changed from a very attractive market into a very capable competitor," Joerg Jetter, CEO of 4JET, a German firm that makes industrial laser processing technology, told AFP. China was long a lucrative market for Germany Inc, but the Asian giant's rise in high-tech fields has put the heat on Europe's industrial powerhouse and its companies, big and small. 4JET, with around 240 employees, has felt the impact first hand: the firm used to have substantial business in solar cell production in China. (Photo by Ina FASSBENDER / AFP via Getty Images)

The logo of 4JET, a German firm that makes industrial laser processing technology, is pictured on a facade of the company's headquarters in Alsdorf, western Germany, on February 10, 2026. "In all key industrial sectors, China has changed from a very attractive market into a very capable competitor," Joerg Jetter, CEO of 4JET, a German firm that makes industrial laser processing technology, told AFP. China was long a lucrative market for Germany Inc, but the Asian giant's rise in high-tech fields has put the heat on Europe's industrial powerhouse and its companies, big and small. 4JET, with around 240 employees, has felt the impact first hand: the firm used to have substantial business in solar cell production in China. (Photo by Ina FASSBENDER / AFP via Getty Images)

The logo of 4JET, a German firm that makes industrial laser processing technology, is pictured on a facade of the company's headquarters in Alsdorf, western Germany, on February 10, 2026. "In all key industrial sectors, China has changed from a very attractive market into a very capable competitor," Joerg Jetter, CEO of 4JET, a German firm that makes industrial laser processing technology, told AFP. China was long a lucrative market for Germany Inc, but the Asian giant's rise in high-tech fields has put the heat on Europe's industrial powerhouse and its companies, big and small. 4JET, with around 240 employees, has felt the impact first hand: the firm used to have substantial business in solar cell production in China. (Photo by Ina FASSBENDER / AFP via Getty Images)

A tyre is marked with the tyre marking machine at the headquarters of 4JET, a German firm that makes industrial laser processing technology, in Alsdorf, western Germany, on February 10, 2026. Insatiable demand in China for German exports, from cars to factory equipment, helped underpin a long boom in the eurozone's biggest economy. But times have changed: Chinese companies have become adept at making products long the specialities of manufacturers in Germany, adding to the headwinds that have left the country trapped in a seemingly endless decline. (Photo by Ina FASSBENDER / AFP via Getty Images)

An employee works at a part of the tyre flipper for the tyre marking system at the headquarters of 4JET, a German firm that makes industrial laser processing technology, in Alsdorf, western Germany, on February 10, 2026. Insatiable demand in China for German exports, from cars to factory equipment, helped underpin a long boom in the eurozone's biggest economy. But times have changed: Chinese companies have become adept at making products long the specialities of manufacturers in Germany, adding to the headwinds that have left the country trapped in a seemingly endless decline. (Photo by Ina FASSBENDER / AFP via Getty Images)

Employees work at a tyre flipper machine for the tyre marking system at the headquarters of 4JET, a German firm that makes industrial laser processing technology, in Alsdorf, western Germany, on February 10, 2026. Insatiable demand in China for German exports, from cars to factory equipment, helped underpin a long boom in the eurozone's biggest economy. But times have changed: Chinese companies have become adept at making products long the specialities of manufacturers in Germany, adding to the headwinds that have left the country trapped in a seemingly endless decline. (Photo by Ina FASSBENDER / AFP via Getty Images)

A tyre is marked with the tyre marking machine at the headquarters of 4JET, a German firm that makes industrial laser processing technology, in Alsdorf, western Germany, on February 10, 2026. Insatiable demand in China for German exports, from cars to factory equipment, helped underpin a long boom in the eurozone's biggest economy. But times have changed: Chinese companies have become adept at making products long the specialities of manufacturers in Germany, adding to the headwinds that have left the country trapped in a seemingly endless decline. (Photo by Ina FASSBENDER / AFP via Getty Images)

Employees work at a laser patterning machine for window glass at the headquarters of 4JET, a German firm that makes industrial laser processing technology, in Alsdorf, western Germany, on February 10, 2026. Insatiable demand in China for German exports, from cars to factory equipment, helped underpin a long boom in the eurozone's biggest economy. But times have changed: Chinese companies have become adept at making products long the specialities of manufacturers in Germany, adding to the headwinds that have left the country trapped in a seemingly endless decline. (Photo by Ina FASSBENDER / AFP via Getty Images)