The German group Schaeffler, one of the largest manufacturers of automotive components, recently announced that it will lay off 4,700 employees in Europe, and now it has revealed that the Brașov factory will also be affected. Part of the production will be moved to other plants, but investments will also be made for the production of new components that are currently manufactured in sites in Europe and Asia.
Schaeffler, which opened its Cristian factory in Brasov County in 2002, says that this unit will also be affected by restructuring, along with one in Slovakia. Two factories will be closed – in Austria and the UK – as part of a plan designed to reduce costs and increase competitiveness. The company did not say how much the workforce in Brasov will decrease.
According to Brasov local media, 800 people could be laid off.
Schaeffler says in a press release that the factory near Brașov will be “affected by consolidation measures.” Schaeffler Romania produces linear technology components for the machine tool industry, components for the automotive industry and large bearings for various industrial applications.
The company says that the production of some components that are made in Brașov, including a series of bearings, will be moved to other plants.
On the other hand, the group will produce other industrial components for European customers in Brașov, and linear technology components that are currently manufactured at plants in Taiwan and Germany will, in the future, be manufactured in Brașov, where investments will follow. Schaeffler says that the Brașov plant will be “a central location for linear technology components” and will continue to be the group’s most important site for the production of large bearings, up to 4 meters in diameter.
The Germans also say that “essential capital investments” are also planned for the Transylvania site.
Schaeffler has almost 5,000 employees in Romania and 120,000 worldwide.