BSH (Bosch, Neff and Siemens) have announced that they are to close down production at two plants in Germany at Nauen and Bretten leading to the loss of around 1400 jobs.
Bosch blames an ongoing decline in the market, stagnating housing markets, changing consumer behaviour, and increased demand for more affordable appliances which has led to a fall in production.
And Bosch says that it doesn’t foresee any significant market growth for the foreseeable future.
The company will cease production of washing machines at its Nauen by mid-2027 and at Bretten the production of ovens and hoods, as well as the logistics functions, are planned to be stoped out in early 2028.
Producttion is said to be getting moved to other European plants.
Matthias Metz from BSH said: “We are aware that such a step is associated with concerns and uncertainties.
“This is not a decision we make lightly. It is the result of an intensive, careful, and thorough evaluation.
“This step is necessary to secure our future viability and competitiveness”
BSH will continue to operate factories, product development and sales centres, logistics, its own customer service organizstion as well as the company headquarters in Germany.
BSH has invested around €300million in its German sites over the past few years in product lines, modernisation of production, digitalisation and automation, as well as research and development. Further investments are also planned in the coming years to specifically strengthen competitiveness and innovation in Germany.
