High costs and strong franc Another traditional Swiss company relocates jobs abroad
Once again, a traditional Swiss company is relocating jobs abroad. Hoffmann Neopac's reasoning has been given several times recently: the strong franc is affecting the can manufacturer from Lake Thun.
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- Hoffmann Neopac is relocating a good three dozen jobs from Lake Thun to the Netherlands.
- The traditional can manufacturer says it is suffering from the strong Swiss franc. It has also lost important Swiss customers.
- 37 full-time positions will be cut in the metal division and three production lines will be relocated.
The price pressure on the global market is affecting more and more traditional Swiss companies. Small or medium-sized companies that cannot keep up with costs are usually affected. In Münsingen BE, even the listed traditional company Swiss Steel is now apparently in serious difficulties. After more than 100 years, it is said to be facing bankruptcy.
Things are certainly not that bad at Hoffmann Neopac. Not far from Münsingen, the company has been manufacturing metal cans since 1904 - and is now shutting down three production lines. In future, these will be taken over by the Dronten site in the Netherlands. This is intended to ensure the competitiveness of the metal division, as the company announced on Tuesday.
A good three dozen jobs will now be lost at its plant in Glatt/Thun, directly on the shores of Lake Thun. The company is thus making a similarly painful decision as so many other small and medium-sized Swiss companies that are literally being crushed by the high costs. According to Hoffmann Neopac, 37 full-time positions are expected to be cut, leaving 57 employees at eleven production facilities.
Strong franc causes problems
The company's reasoning has been heard several times recently. For example, "the unfavorable development of the euro exchange rate" is having a negative impact on costs at the Thun site. The company has also had to cope with the "loss of important customers in Switzerland".
The price pressure in the international metal can market therefore "requires" a "consolidation of the sites". In other words: Competition is getting tougher and the costs are too high.
A consultation process with the Personnel Commission will now run until November 13, 2024. "Proposals and ideas to mitigate the impact on staff" are to be submitted.
The NEOPAC plant in Oberdiessbach and the other subsidiaries specializing in tube production are not affected by the measures.
