Press Release
Dornbirn, 28 April 2016
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Zumtobel Group planning to close production plant in Usingen, Germany
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Negotiations with potential strategic partners and investors fail to yield results
156 employees affected by planned closure of the plant
Management working with employee representatives to find socially responsible
solutions
Dornbirn, Austria – The Zumtobel Group is planning to close its production plant in Usingen,
Germany, on 31 August 2016. From the outset, the Group is involving the employee
representatives in this process. The primary concern is to find socially responsible solutions for
the 156 employees who will be affected by the closure. Several months ago, the Zumtobel
Group initiated a search for a strategic partner for the plant, which has excess production
capacity, with the aim of leveraging synergies and economies of scale. Although this search led
to intensive negotiations with several interested parties, in the end no agreement could be
reached.
Along with the unsatisfactory uptake of capacity at the plant, other reasons for today’s decision
include the above-average indirect production costs and the low strategic relevance of the
“Medicals” portfolio produced in Usingen, which does not form part of the Group’s core business.
Not least in the light of the total worldwide production capacity of the Zumtobel Group, the
continued operation of the Usingen plant under Group ownership does not represent an
economically viable alternative. Against this backdrop, by agreement with the Executive Board
and the Supervisory Board of the Zumtobel Group, the management of Zumtobel Lighting GmbH
has decided to initiate talks with the employee representatives regarding plans to close the
production plant. The objective of these discussions is to identify mutually acceptable and
socially responsible solutions for the affected employees.
Christian Ranacher, General Manager of Zumtobel Lighting GmbH, Germany, says: “We
deeply regret that we were unable to find a solution for our Usingen plant which allowed us to
safeguard the jobs at this production site. We particularly regret today’s decision when we think
of our employees, who have demonstrated great dedication and professional excellence in the
many years they have worked for our company. We will, of course, live up to our responsibilities
as an employer in full and carry out constructive, results-oriented discussions with the employee
representatives.”
In the course of the planned closure of the Usingen plant, the Zumtobel Group is also planning
to take its Medicals product portfolio off the market. Outstanding customer orders will still be
filled. All other products made in Usingen – free-standing luminaires, suspended luminaires and
tracks – will remain part of the portfolio. Going forward, they will mainly be produced at Group’s
plants in Dornbirn (Austria) and Lemgo (Germany).
The planned closure of the production plant in Usingen is part of a larger ongoing effort by the
Zumtobel Group to reduce the number of plants under its ownership, with the aim of optimising
the capacity uptake and boosting the competitiveness of its global production network. In this
context, in the past two years the Zumtobel Group has already closed down production sites in
Landskrona (Sweden), Ennenda (Switzerland) and Tianjin (China), and sold off plants in
Innsbruck (Austria) and Auckland (New Zealand).
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Media Contact
Astrid Kühn-Ulrich
VP Global Communications
Phone +43-(0)5572 509-1570
[email protected]
Investor Relations
Harald Albrecht
Head of Investor Relations
Phone +43-(0)5572 509-1125
[email protected]
About the Zumtobel Group:
The Zumtobel Group is an international lighting group and a leading player in the field of innovative lighting
solutions and components. With its three internationally established brands, Thorn, Tridonic and Zumtobel,
and its two smaller brands, acdc and Reiss, the Group offers its customers around the world a
comprehensive range of products and services. In the lighting business the Group with its Thorn, Zumtobel
and acdc brands is the European market leader. The Reiss brand supplies OEMs with luminaires with a
higher degree of protection. Through its lighting components brand, Tridonic, the Group plays a leading
role worldwide in the manufacture of hardware and software for lighting systems (LED light sources and
LED drivers, sensors and lighting management). The Group is listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange (ATX)
and on the balance sheet date (April 30, 2015) employed a workforce of 7,234 employees. In the 2014/15
financial year, the Group posted revenues of EUR 1,312.6 million. The Zumtobel Group is based in
Dornbirn in the Vorarlberg region of Austria. For further information, please visit
www.zumtobelgroup.com/en