Spanish auto parts group Grupo Antolin is to shut its loss-making vehicle headlining factory in Elsendorf, Germany and will move production to the Czech Republic, a company spokeswoman told just-auto.
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“Despite much investment in recent years, the factory continues to lose money,” the spokeswoman said.
Spanish press reported the factories’ 200 employees are unhappy with the move and that German union IG Metall is fighting to keep the site open.
Antolin, active in 20 countries, plans to shut the plant by 31 December and gradually move production to the Czech Republic before then, the spokeswoman added.
Apart from staunching losses, the move east is strategically sound because many of the company’s rivals already have “highly competitive” headliner factories there, Antolin said in a statement.
German union officials were quoted saying that Antolin has failed to make promised investments to update the factory’s technology. Under that pledge, workers reportedly agreed to work an extra 50,000 hours without further compensation.
The Elsendorf site makes 2,000 headliners a day and supplies BMW, Audi and Daimler Chrysler.
Ivan Castano
