50,000 fewer jobs – and the pressure continues to mount

Metal and steel processing, the backbone of German industry and strongly characterised by small and medium-sized enterprises, has cut around 50,000 jobs in the last five years. More could follow.

High energy prices, CO₂ costs, international tariffs and structural competitive disadvantages are putting companies under enormous pressure. According to a recent report in the Handelsblatt newspaper, many companies see ‘no prospects at all’. (Source)

What we are seeing in discussions with industrial companies:

It is no longer just about cost reduction. It is about location decisions, vertical integration and strategic realignment.

Companies are responding with production relocations, local-for-local strategies and structural staff reductions. Political relief is not yet being felt in many places.

What is needed now is both: short-term stabilisation of liquidity and profitability, and clear, sustainable location and transformation strategies.

For owner-managed industrial companies in particular, these are decisions with enormous implications. We support companies in precisely these phases. With a clear view of figures, structures and future viability.