Karmann has decided to build a convertible roof plant in Poland, according to auto motor und sport magazine, which quotes information from works council representatives. The decision follows a long internal debate and has not been confirmed by the company itself. A press announcement is expected to made on Friday.
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Two future contracts for cabrio roof systems will be implemented in Poland, meaning that there will be no direct impact on jobs at the main plant in Osnabrück, where around half of the workers are currently working reduced hours because of a cutback in production of the Chrysler Crossfire. Around 1,250 jobs are expected to go in the near future.
Karmann’s vehicle assembly operations are losing out to OEMs becoming more flexible and moving niche vehicle production in-house. Mercedes-Benz already decided that the CLK successor will be built in its own plant in Bremen, rather than in Osnabrück, and there are doubts that Audi will award Karmann a contract to assemble the next A4 Cabriolet as it has the expertise to build the car in-house.
To guarantee future jobs manufacturing roof systems in Osnabrück, the works council wants to benchmark the cost structure of Osnabrück with that of Poland. Workers representatives say that there is still a chance of reducing costs in Osnabrück
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