There is an atmosphere of crisis at Opel's factory in Rüsselsheim, where the order books can no longer carry enough work for all employees. In the first instance, a shift team is cut away.
Opel is cutting production and parts of the factory in Rüsselsheim are standing still this week. The German car manufacturer is affected by the crisis in the car industry and is therefore forced to adapt production to the current situation.
Production of the Opel Astra and the sister model DS 4 has been completely stopped this week. From December 9, the factory in Rüsselsheim will operate with only one shift until the end of January.
A spokesman for the Stellantis group, which owns Opel, confirms the decision to the news agency DPA, and states that the employees have been sent home with pay this week.
– This week the employees were sent without being drawn into lon.
According to an Opel spokesman, it is intended as recognition for the work the employees have carried out. The background, however, is the transition to single-team operation, where the work processes must be adapted," according to DPA .
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In Rüsselsheim, the Opel Astra is produced in various variants, including a plug-in hybrid and a purely electric model. The DS 4 is also produced at the same factory, but the French model is only available as a plug-in hybrid.
According to Handelsblatt, citing figures from Dataforce, sales of the Astra have increased by 47 percent in Europe, while sales of the DS 4 have fallen. Opel may have already passed production peaks for the Astra and is now experiencing a slowdown in demand.
Opel cites "processed orders and current market demands" as reasons for the changes in production.
The company emphasizes that the adaptation of the work processes is not only to accommodate the new shift schedule at the factory. But also increasing the competitiveness of the factory in Rüsselsheim in the long term. Around 1,600 employees are employed at the factory in Rüsselsheim.
This week, Opel's top boss, Stellanti's managing director Carlos Tavares, officially resigned. However, many analysts and industry professionals believe that the 66-year-old Portuguese was fired. Read more about it here .
