Schaeffler Plans Job Cuts, Site Closures as Auto Demand Falters
The supplier cited weaker auto demand, Chinese competition and high German labor costs as it targets annual savings of 300 million euros by 2030.
- On March 11, 2026, Schaeffler announced 3,460 job cuts and five site closures by 2028, affecting 3% of its 110,000 global workforce and generating €300 million in annual savings from 2030.
- Management cited a "persistently challenging environment in the automotive industry," noting market downturns, intensifying competition from Chinese manufacturers, and weakened demand for internal combustion engines driving the restructuring.
- Three-Fourths of cuts and four site closures will occur in Germany, including Berlin and Dortmund, with the company pointing to "above-average" costs for workers in Europe's top economy and focusing cuts on production and research and development.
- Schaeffler will also shutter a site in Belgium and reduce headcount in France and Slovakia, while offsetting some job losses by creating positions in "future-oriented fields" such as humanoid robotics and defence.
- These reductions mirror broader German automotive industry struggles; Bosch announced 13,000 job cuts last year, while Volkswagen plans to cut around 120,000 jobs by 2030, underscoring the sector's deepening crisis.
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148 Articles
Schaeffler, Volkswagen's supplier, plans to close five units in Europe, in another round of job cuts, while reducing its high-cost operations in Germany. The company will eliminate 3,460 jobs in Europe, about three-quarters of them in Germany, informed the manufacturer of ball bearings and hybrid-electric transmission systems on Tuesday. Four units will be closed in their home country and another in Belgium.
A new wave of restructuring hits the European car industry. Schaeffler, one of the largest suppliers of components for the car industry, has announced that it will shut down five production units in Germany and Belgium and eliminate 3,460 jobs in Europe. The decision comes at a difficult time for the sector, marked by the drop in demand for internal combustion engines, the slower pace of switching to electric cars and increasing competition.
Faced with the crisis in the automotive sector, the German group Schaeffler announces a major restructuring affecting mainly Germany and Belgium German equipment manufacturer Schaeffler a
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