The restructuring events database contains factsheets with data on large-scale restructuring events reported in the principal national media and company websites in each EU Member State. This database was created in 2002.
(10 - 33) Manufacturing (28) Manufacture of machinery and equipment 28.2 - Manufacture of other general-purpose machinery 28.22 - Manufacture of lifting and handling equipment
590 - 679 jobs Number of planned job losses
Announcement Date
23 July 2025
Employment effect (start)
23 July 2025
Foreseen end date
31 December 2026
Description
Jungheinrich, a German manufacturer of forklift trucks and logistics technology, will close its plant in Lüneburg (Lower Saxony) with around 380 employees by 2027 and cut 200 jobs at its plants in Norderstedt (Schleswig-Holstein) and a double-digit number at its headquarters in Hamburg. The majority of the jobs will be cut in production.
The reasons for the restructuring are a change in market demand for cheaper machines, a slump in profits in 2025 with a reduction in the EBIT forecast, and additional financial burdens due to the sale of the Russian subsidiary below market value.
As the Lüneburg site will be closed, all employees there will lose their jobs. The job cuts in Norderstedt will be carried out through a voluntary programme with severance packages, which is also aimed at older employees. The first employees have already left the company.
The IG Metall trade union responded with sharp criticism, describing the planned first site closure in Germany as a ‘taboo breach’. The union and workforce are demanding that all locations be retained. They have organised and accused the company management of pursuing its growth targets for 2030 at the expense of its employees.
The job cuts in Germany are part of a global measure by Jungheinrich to cut 1,000 jobs worldwide Jungheinrich 2025 - WO.
Eurofound (2025), Jungheinrich, Closure in Germany, factsheet number 203181, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://dev.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/203181.
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