Schaeffler announces new performance programme: 3,460 positions to be cut in Europe, five sites to close

Schaeffler has announced a new performance improvement programme that foresees a net reduction of 3,460 positions in Europe and the closure of five locations. The programme targets an earnings improvement of around 300 million euros a year from 2030.

Güç Aktarım Published: November 6, 2026 11:21 am · Updated: November 11, 2026 5:21 pm · 3 min read

Contents

16 European locations affected
Impact in Germany and cost
Focus on growth areas

Bearing and motion technology manufacturer Schaeffler announced a new performance improvement programme from Herzogenaurach on 3 November 2026. The programme plans a net reduction of 3,460 positions in Europe, around 2,660 of them in Germany. The company expects the programme to deliver an earnings improvement of around 300 million euros a year from 2030.

According to the company, the Executive Board moved to the new programme after completing the restructuring measures announced in November 2024 and finalising 1,800 partial retirement agreements at the beginning of October. Schaeffler cites weak demand for vehicles with internal combustion engines, delayed growth in electric mobility, high per-employee costs in Germany and a complex organisational structure with many management levels as reasons. The programme’s goals include reducing excess capacity, adjusting development capacity, lowering personnel costs and simplifying the organisation.

16 European locations affected

According to the announcement, the measures cover 16 locations in Europe, and around 50 percent of the positions to be cut are in production, 30 percent in research and development and 20 percent in other functions. Five locations are planned to close, four of them in Germany: Dortmund (around 430 employees) and Morbach (around 160 employees), which belong to the Powertrain & Chassis division and produce internal combustion engine products; Berlin (around 270 employees), whose operations will be discontinued; Schwalbach (around 385 employees, a significant proportion of whom are expected to move to Frankfurt), which will close; and Herstal in Belgium (around 15 employees).

In Germany, the foundry operation in Höchstadt is to be discontinued, special machinery activities in Erlangen and Schweinfurt adjusted, and capacity and structural changes made in Herzogenaurach, Bühl, Höchstadt, Nuremberg and Regensburg. Outside Germany, production and development adjustments are planned at Haguenau and Toulouse in France and at Skalica and Kysuce in Slovakia. The structural measures are planned to be implemented mainly in 2027 and 2028.

Impact in Germany and cost

Based on a core workforce of 31,957 people as of 30 September 2026, the company says the reduction in Germany corresponds to around 9 percent of positions by 2028; together with previous programmes and the 1,800 partial retirement agreements, this rises to around 18 percent. One-off expenses of around 480 million euros are expected for the programme, most of which are expected to be recognised as a restructuring provision in 2026.

As part of the programme, a temporary and voluntary salary reduction (“solidarity contribution”), starting with the Executive Board and covering all hierarchy levels, will also be introduced; its details are still being defined. The company expects this step to ease results in 2027 and 2028. CEO Klaus Rosenfeld described the solidarity contribution as the most important element of the programme and said they want to show that developing and producing competitively in Germany and Europe is both possible and meaningful.

Focus on growth areas

According to Schaeffler, some of the positions cut will be offset by new positions in humanoid robotics and defence, which the company has identified as growth areas. COO Dr Jochen Schröder stressed that, alongside its core business, the group has promising growth opportunities in future-oriented areas. Dr Astrid Fontaine, Executive Board member responsible for Human Resources, said that as a family company it is important to them to implement the measures in a socially responsible manner and in dialogue with employee representatives. The company said implementation will be carried out on the basis of the 2018 Future Accord, in close dialogue with the works councils.