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Schaeffler to cut 3,460 jobs and close four German sites
Mobility2 min read
Auto parts maker Schaeffler plans to cut a net 3,460 jobs in Europe, about 2,660 of them in Germany. It will close five sites, including plants in Dortmund, Morbach, Berlin, Schwalbach and Herstal in Belgium.
What happened
Schaeffler, a German supplier of car and industrial parts based in Herzogenaurach, announced the plan on Tuesday. The cuts affect 16 sites in Europe. The company says the plan should improve its yearly profit by about 300 million euros from 2030. The one-time costs are about 480 million euros, and most of them will be booked already in 2026. The company plans to carry out most of the changes in 2027 and 2028. It did not say how the costs add up or what sales and factory-use assumptions sit behind the savings goal.
Key numbers
- Net job cuts in Europe: 3,460, of which about 2,660 are in Germany
- Plants to close: Dortmund (430 workers) and Morbach (160) make parts for combustion engines; Berlin (about 270 workers); Schwalbach (about 385 workers, about 190 jobs lost); Herstal in Belgium (about 15 workers)
- Expected yearly profit gain from 2030: about 300 million euros
- One-time costs: about 480 million euros
- Share of European cuts: about 50% in production, 30% in research and development, 20% in other functions. That is roughly 1,000 jobs in development.
Background
In November 2024, Schaeffler announced a earlier plan to cut 4,700 jobs. By the end of September 2026, 3,715 of those cuts had been carried out, and contracts were in place for the other 985. In October, the company also reported about 1,800 new early-retirement part-time contracts. Schaeffler gives several reasons: a shrinking car market, more competition, weaker demand for combustion-engine parts, and slow growth in electric cars. It also points to high pay per worker in Germany and an organisation with too many management levels.
Why it matters
This is a big change for workers and towns in Germany. Many of the jobs lost are in plants that make parts for combustion engines, which are facing lower demand as car makers shift to electric cars. The cuts also hit research and development, even though Schaeffler wants to grow in new areas and call itself a \"Motion Technology Company\". The company has not said which development work will be cut or where new jobs will come from.
What to watch
- Details of each site, which the company will share at local staff meetings
- Where moved work will go, and how many Schwalbach staff will transfer to Frankfurt
- Whether the 300 million euro savings target is reached from 2030
- How the company's new growth areas in research and development are affected
Glossary
- Schaeffler
- A German company that makes parts for cars and industrial machines.
- Motion Technology Company
- Schaeffler's own name for itself as a firm that works on many kinds of movement technology, not only car parts.