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Schweizer Group files for bankruptcy - The first consequences of the exhaust scandal

First drastic effects of the crisis of the German automaker distresses the automotive supply.

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The Schweizer Group employs a total of 900 people, of which about 300 employees are affected by the bankruptcy in Hattenhofen.

According to
 managing director Roger Breu, the Sschweizer Group has recorded a decline of approx. 25% since the summer in sales of cast aluminum for diesel engines as well as gasoline engines.

Fewer new vehicles
There is a slump in the purchase of new vehicles, as the policy creates no clear and above all uniform conditions. Car buyers are unsettled and the future of internal combustion engines, especially diesel technology, is uncertain. The manufacturers have had to reduce their production, which means under-utilization of the Schweizer Group, with correspondingly negative results.

A reorganization plan, which was discussed with customers and banks, failed at first. Now, the whole group has filed for bankruptcy. The company needs an investor, because the problems are not based on productivity - until the middle of the year, the Schweizer Group was well on schedule.

Last year in Hattenhofen, the manufacturer of aluminum die-cast components was converted to complete components in the automotive industry in order to be more independent of the drive development, and thus also justified the elimination of 100 jobs.

What is changing at the moment?
First, nothing changes, says Breu. Production in all plants continues to run, because the funding gap will only become relevant next year. They are working on a solution for the restructuring of the group, whereby the search for the investor is a priority.

At the moment, Breu has not yet been able to give concrete details about the omission and changes in jobs, but without cuts it will probably not work. The union wants to prevent a closure of Hattenhofen, but complains about the responsible actions of management.

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