Munich-based industrial giant Siemens has announced plans to cut 6,000 jobs worldwide. Changes are also imminent in the e-mobility division, which will affect Leipzig. Leipzig has built up its own production facility for charging stations, where up to 250 employees produced Sicharge D fast chargers at peak times. Production is now to be discontinued.
Siemens is planning a realignment in the area of charging solutions, which will result in the loss of around 450 jobs, 250 of which are in Germany. The charging station business will be relocated to Corroios in Portugal. According to Siemens, however, there are no plans to close the plant in Leipzig. Layoffs for operational reasons are to be avoided. The affected employees will be offered retraining and internal job placements.
It was announced last year that Siemens wanted to spin off its charging solutions business. The spin-off process is continuing and Siemens is looking for partners. The site in Corroios is to serve as the main production facility for the charging station business. Siemens plans to focus more on fast charging infrastructures and position the business more regionally in order to better serve market requirements.
Siemens cites the strong price pressure and limited growth potential in the market as reasons. The reduction is to be completed by the end of the 2025 financial year. The works council and IG Metall are alarmed and are fighting for jobs. Siemens is planning a total of 2850 of the 6000 job cuts worldwide in Germany, with the Digital Industries division particularly affected.
The Leipzig site has an eventful history and is strongly represented in the west of the city. In addition to charging stations, low-voltage switchgear is also produced here. Production was also due to be relocated to Portugal in 2013, but a counter-concept prevented this. The site continues to operate at full capacity and produces components for charging stations.
