Swiss solar manufacturer Meyer Burger plans job cuts in Europe

The ailing Swiss solar manufacturer Meyer Burger, which has sites in Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony, plans to cut jobs. "The significant streamlining of the entire Group structure in particular will lead to a reduction in the global workforce from currently around 1,050 to an expected 850 by the end of 2025," the company announced. Jobs are to be cut primarily in Europe, while an increase is planned in the USA. Meyer Burger aims to return to profitability with the restructuring.

It is not yet certain where exactly which jobs will be cut. According to Franz Richter, Chairman of the Board of Directors, redundancies at German sites cannot be ruled out. However, he emphasized that production in Saxony-Anhalt should not be jeopardized. "Cell production in Thalheim is the backbone and will remain in place," said Richter. The site in Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Saxony, is also important for research and development. The job cuts would be more likely to focus on administrative positions, for example.

Managing Director leaves

The streamlining of the company is also evident elsewhere: the previous Managing Director Gunter Erfurt has resigned from his position and will leave Meyer Burger, it was reported. It was Erfurt's own decision, said Richter, who will take over as Managing Director with immediate effect.

The company has a technology and product center in Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Saxony (Zwickau district), where mass production systems are developed. According to the company, these are used in the production facility in Thalheim (Bitterfeld-Wolfen) in Saxony-Anhalt. Solar cells are manufactured there.

A few months ago, the closure of solar cell production in Thalheim was still under discussion. However, the company assessed the planned construction of an alternative production facility in the USA as currently not financially viable and stopped the project, which is why Thalheim and its 350 employees are still needed. In spring, however, the company closed what it claimed was Europe's largest solar module production facility in Freiberg, Saxony.