Short-time working at solar manufacturer Meyer Burger in Thalheim

The Swiss solar manufacturer Meyer Burger is introducing short-time working at its Thalheim site in the Anhalt-Bitterfeld district from May 1. This was agreed by the management and works council, according to a statement.

The company cited temporary material bottlenecks in production as the reason. According to the statement, this affects around 300 employees who previously worked 24 hours a day, seven days a week to produce high-performance solar cells. The measure is intended to save costs in the short term.

According to the company, the production processes at the US site in Goodyear, Arizona, where the solar cells from Thalheim are processed into solar modules, have also been adjusted. In the course of the ramp-up, technical work at the plant now alternates daily with the production of solar modules. In order to reduce costs, "further adjustments to the workforce (...) are in preparation", the company added.

Company ailing and undergoing restructuring

Meyer Burger Technology Ltd, headquartered in the Swiss town of Thun, researches, develops and produces solar cells and modules. It also operates a research center and a machine factory in Hohenstein-Ernstthal and a test center in Freiberg in Saxony. The ailing company is currently undergoing restructuring. "We have to react," said a spokeswoman.

According to preliminary figures, Meyer Burger generated turnover of 69.6 million Swiss francs (74.17 million euros) in 2024, compared to 135 million francs in the previous year. The decline was mainly due to the strategic relocation of the business from Germany to the USA. As a result, module production in Freiberg, Saxony, was discontinued. Meyer Burger is committed to the remaining production sites in Germany, said the spokesperson. With the change in the Group structure, the number of employees worldwide is to be reduced from around 1,050 to an expected 850 by the end of 2025 in order to return to profitability.