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.
Manufacturing Manufacturing Of Furniture And Other Manufacturing Other Manufacturing 32.3 - Manufacture of sports goods
New offshoring locations
250 jobs Number of planned job losses
Announcement Date
22 April 2005
Employment effect (start)
22 April 2005
Foreseen end date
1 June 2005
Description
On 22 April 2005, the management of the Austrian Head Sport company announced the almost complete relocation of the firm's tennis racket production activities from Europe to China. This relocation will hit the production sites in Kennelbach (Austria) and Ceske Budejovice (Czech Republic). At the plant in Kennelbach, 111 blue- and 9 white-collar workers will be dismissed by June 2005, at the Czech plant it will be around 130 in total. Experts suppose both the high rate of exchange of the Euro and significant price increases of basic materials being the primary reasons for the planned relocations. Research and development, marketing and sales of the tennis division will remain at the headquarters in Kennelbach, just as is the case for the whole ski production which employs almost 400 workers. The Austrian trade unions have demanded to establish a comprehensive social plan for the workers concerned.
Sources
22 April 2005: Der Standard
Citation
Eurofound (2005), Head Sport, Offshoring/Delocalisation in European Union, factsheet number 61492, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/61492.
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