In the statement made by the company, it was stated that the crisis in the European automotive industry required additional measures and structural regulations.
In the statement, it was noted that the structural measures announced in November 2024 were completed and 1800 partial retirement agreements were implemented at the beginning of October, and that the Board of Directors initiated a new restructuring program.
In the statement, it was stated that within the scope of this program, a total of 3 thousand 460 positions will be eliminated across Europe, 2 thousand 660 of which are in Germany, and the high personnel costs in Germany and the organizational chaos caused by many management levels were cited as the main reasons for the employment cuts.
It was stated in the statement that the one-time cost of this comprehensive savings program is expected to be 480 million euros, and that with these restructuring steps, it is aimed to achieve permanent savings of approximately 300 million euros annually starting from 2030.
In the statement, it was noted that the layoffs are planned to start next year and be completed by the end of 2028 at the latest with a socially responsible severance package, in line with the negotiations with employee representatives.
The company statement also included the information that Schaeffler has approximately 32 thousand employees in Germany, according to end-September data.
In the statement, which also included the effects of the transformation on a facility basis, it was reported that the company will completely close its electric vehicle R&D center in Berlin, as well as its internal combustion engine technology-focused factories in Dortmund, Morbach and Schwalbach.
In the statement, it was stated that the operational strategy was transformed in order to balance this deepening crisis in the automotive industry, and it was aimed to focus on growth opportunities in new business lines such as the defense industry and humanoid robots in order to maintain competitiveness for the future.
Meanwhile, in the third quarter of the year, Schaeffler's sales were slightly below the same period last year, at 5.8 billion euros, while operating profit decreased by 7.2 percent to 245 million euros. The company's profit margin decreased by 0.3 points to 4.2 percent. The company had to lower its 2028 medium-term targets in June.
Workers' representatives reacted harshly to the decision. "At Schaeffler, one downsizing program follows another without digesting the consequences of the previous one. This is not a forward-looking concept for Germany as an industrial centre," said Thomas Höhn, Schaeffler representative of the IG Metall union. he said.
Schaeffler Business Council President Uli Schoepplein also constantly emphasized that targeting facilities in Germany contradicts the rhetoric of "loyalty to Germany".
It was learned that the company management also requested a "solidarity program" that includes voluntary salary waiver from employees. In this sensitive process, where collective bargaining negotiations and strikes led by the IG Metall union continue, it remains unclear whether the management will be able to persuade worker representatives to this program.
Suppliers in the German automotive sub-industry are going through a difficult time. Bosch, the world's largest automotive supplier, previously announced that it would lay off approximately 22 thousand people in Germany alone. Tens of thousands of jobs are also planned to be terminated at other companies such as ZF and Aumovio.
The contraction in the sector affects not only suppliers but also main manufacturers. While it is stated that approximately 100 thousand jobs are at risk in the Volkswagen Group, BMW is also carrying out a large-scale cost reduction program that includes laying off 8 thousand people worldwide.
