Type
Internal restructuring
Country
Germany
Region
Bayern; Schwaben; Augsburg
Location of affected unit(s)
Augsburg
Sector
Manufacturing
Manufacturing Of Machinery And Equipment
Manufacture Of Machinery And Equipment N.E.C.
28.22 - Manufacture of lifting and handling equipment

270 jobs
Number of planned job losses
Job loss
Announcement Date
17 November 2020
Employment effect (start)
1 January 2021
Foreseen end date
31 December 2021

Description

As announced on 17 November 2020, the German robot manufacturer Kuka will be cutting 270 jobs at its plant in Augsburg in 2021 due to internal restructuring. The CEO informed all employees that a job reduction is necessary due to the drastic drop in orders caused by the COVID-19 crisis. In detail, the value of orders has dropped by €500 million in the first nine months of 2020 compared to the same timeframe in 2019. Negotiations with the workers union IG Metall have already started. IG Metall will focus on the exclusion of compulsory redundancies as well as adequate solutions for all affected employees.  

Kuka has 3,500 employees in Augsburg. 

In 2019, Kuka implemented a cost saving's programme which resulted in the loss of 350 employees (Kuka, 2019).


Sources

Citation

Eurofound (2020), Kuka, Internal restructuring in Germany, factsheet number 102582, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/102582.