Around 270 employees of Thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering in Saxony are losing their jobs. The management has decided to close the Chemnitz/Hohenstein-Ernstthal site completely by mid-2026, the company announced. The IG Metall trade union is calling it a black day for the region.
Systems for battery assembly in the automotive industry were previously built there. However, demand has fallen. "The site had already been in a critical economic situation for some time, as the market did not offer sufficiently large orders to secure our current production site," said Managing Director Rolf-Günther Nieberding in a statement. A major order recently fell through and no corresponding projects are foreseeable for the coming years. "We therefore no longer see any prospects for the site with its profile for major global projects."
IG Metall: Company must assume social responsibility
Fearing for their jobs, many employees in Chemnitz had already demonstrated last week to save their jobs. "This is a black day for our region," said Ingo Hanemann, second authorized representative of IG Metall Chemnitz, after the official announcement of the closure plans to Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. "It is also a hard blow for the trainees in the company. Now it's about the company assuming social responsibility."
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