Restructuring events
European Restructuring Monitor (ERM)
The restructuring events database contains factsheets with data on large-scale restructuring events reported in the principal national media and company websites in each EU Member State. This database was created in 2002.
Vulkan Partizánske, a Slovak footwear and rubber-products manufacturer, announced the dismissal of approximately 100 employees from its plants in Partizánske, Detva, and Hrušov following the opening of bankruptcy proceedings in April 2026.
The restructuring was triggered mainly by the collapse of its key French customer Bensimon, which accounted for roughly 40% of production, alongside rising energy and labour costs and competitive pressure from lower-cost Asian producers. The layoffs affected roughly 83% of the remaining workforce.
Vulkan reported 277 employees in 2023, around 185 in 2024, and slightly above 120 workers before the bankruptcy-related dismissals in 2026. The company, historically active in footwear production and rubber compounds manufacturing, continues to operate a smaller production unit with around 20 remaining workers producing rubber mixtures for the tyre industry supply chain linked to Goodyear and Dunlop through the Bratislava-based company Matrax.
Eurofound (2026), Vulkan, Bankruptcy in Slovakia, factsheet number 300356, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/300356.