The mechanical and automotive engineering sector is the largest employer in industry in Germany and the world leader in a number of areas. Almost a quarter of all German engineers are in fact mechanical and automotive engineers. A core characteristic of mechanical engineering is the variety and complexity that has developed historically. While the discipline was originally primarily concerned with the development, design, manufacture, operation, distribution and repair of machinery, new fields have been added in the course of economic, technological and social development that combine mechanical engineering with other disciplines.