Dürr in Bietigheim-Bissingen: 500 jobs fall away-the crisis grabs it!

Dürr in Bietigheim-Bissingen: 500 jobs fall away-the crisis grabs it!

In a time when the automotive industry has to deal with difficulties, there is a worrying trend: Companies announce massive job cuts. The Dürr company in Bietigheim-Bissingen opens a sad chapter here and plans to dismantle around 500 positions in the administration. CEO Jochen Weyrauch confirmed that this measure not only affects the headquarters where around 2,300 people are employed, but also other locations. The aim is to save 50 million euros annually, with over half of the jobs in Germany. However, details about the specific locations and the exact number of administrative offices concerned are still unclear. As far as possible, Dürr wants to make the job cuts socially acceptable and relies on severance payment programs to avoid operational terminations. Talks with the employee representatives are already being planned and the savings are to be felt from 2027. SWR reports.

The reasons for the job cuts are complex. The demand in the second quarter of 2023 remained behind the expectations, in particular due to the US customs policy and a stagnant change to electric cars. In addition, the forecast for the orders this year has experienced a strong damper, and the company has now adapted it down to 3.8 to 4.1 billion euros from originally 4.3 to 4.7 billion euros. These developments are part of a major problem that affects the entire automotive industry.

connection with the industry situation

The auto industry in Germany and Europe is in a permanent crisis, so to speak. Many companies report restructuring, factory closures and comprehensive job cuts. For example, the Mahle company, another important player in the region, has deleted around 600 jobs in Germany within the past 12 months. Bosch also planning significant savings and wants to shorten the working hours and salaries of around 600 employees at the Renningen research location. Auto Motor und Sport explains that job cuts are not limited to the companies in Baden-Württemberg. As an example, you can call ZF Friedrichshafen AG, which consider the spin-off of your e-division, which affects over 32,000 employees.

there is a depressing mood in the industry. According to the IFO Institute, the mood barometer of the automotive industry has fallen to a low, and companies are pessimistic about the coming months, which should further increase the considerations regarding possible job cuts. Entries on bankruptcy like Gerhardi plastic technology, which employs 1,500 employees and recently registered bankruptcy, draw a dark picture.

A look at the future

Since the industry is still in a transformation, companies have to adapt to new conditions - be it by switching to electric vehicles or other increases in efficiency. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen how these changes will have a long time and whether the job reduction is the right step to navigate the companies through this turbulent time.

The next few weeks and months promise to be exciting. It is possible to hope whether the talks between company management and employee representatives will lead to a socially acceptable solution. However, one thing is clear: the automotive industry faces major challenges and the effects are clearly noticeable in the region.