Ethics in the digital workplace
Digitisation and automation technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), can affect working conditions in a variety of ways and their use in the workplace raises a host of new ethical concerns.

FWB Kunststofftechnik, a German automotive supplier in the plastics industry based in Pirmasens (Rhineland-Palatinate) and part of the HELLA Group, will be closed by the end of 2026, resulting in the loss of approximately 132 production jobs. The closure is due to the ongoing crisis in the automotive industry and significantly increased energy and raw material costs.
Production is scheduled to cease by mid-2026, with staff reductions taking place gradually; 50 jobs were already cut in 2024. Redundancies and support in finding new employment are planned; compulsory layoffs in 2025 cannot be ruled out. Details of negotiations with social partners are not yet available.
FWB was founded in 1980 and has been part of HELLA since 2020.
Eurofound (2025), FWB Kunstrofftechnik, Bankruptcy in Germany, factsheet number 202604, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://dev.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/202604.