Meyer Burger: Around 600 employees in Germany laid off

The solar manufacturer Meyer Burger sees no chance of rescuing the entire group and has laid off its employees in Germany. Except for a team to wind up the sites, the 600 employees have been made redundant, the Swiss company announced. Specifically, this relates to solar cell production in Bitterfeld-Wolfen (Saxony-Anhalt) and the development site in Hohenstein-Ernstthal (Saxony).

Employees in the USA also made redundant

Meyer Burger - originally a mechanical engineering company - had campaigned for a renaissance of solar production in Europe. However, the government support hoped for in Germany failed to materialize. In addition, the company was unable to keep up with cheaper Chinese modules. As a result, it had already closed module production in Freiberg, Saxony, last year and shifted its focus to the USA. However, the 300 or so employees there were also reportedly made redundant in May.

At the beginning of the month, the insolvency administrator for the German companies announced that, in the absence of an investor, business operations at the plants in Bitterfeld-Wolfen and Hohenstein-Ernstthal would cease on September 1 and the majority of employees would be laid off. Talks are still underway with potential interested parties. "However, whether these talks will lead to a result is completely open," it said. "The solar industry in Germany and Europe is still in an extremely difficult economic situation."