The situation of the Swiss mechanical and electrical engineering indus-tries (MEM industries) is showing some initial signs of recovery. Com-pared to the same period of the previous year, incoming orders and rev-enues increased by 9.8% and 6.5% respectively in the last quarter of 2012. Companies in the industry also have more positive expectations for 2013 than they did last autumn. However, they are still under great pressure to adapt. A study conducted by McKinsey&Company with the support of Swissmem defined five areas of action that need to be addressed to strengthen businesses' international competitiveness.