Mass redundancies in Huttwil The Flyer boss knew nothing of the German owner's plans
The entire production of Swiss e-bike pioneer Flyer is being relocated abroad. A media report now suggests how the German owner is leading the workforce around by the nose.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- The Swiss e-bike manufacturer Flyer, owned by the German company ZEG, is relocating its entire production abroad.
- Even the head of the Swiss site was unaware of the upcoming production shutdown in Huttwil BE. The consultation procedure has been opened.
- According to a media report, rallying cries were sent out to the workforce weeks before the decision was made.
- Only a few jobs will be retained in Huttwil. Around 150 employees will probably lose their jobs.
Flyer AG is a pioneer for e-bikes in Switzerland and built a plant in Huttwil BE back in 2009. In 2017, a major player in the industry, the German Cologne-based Zweirad-Einkaufs-Genossenschaft (ZEG), joined the Swiss company.
During the e-bike boom in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Flyer also benefited massively from the high demand. At its peak, 350 people were employed in Huttwil. However, those days are long gone and Flyer's entire production is being relocated abroad, as was reported in the media last week.
It is now clear that not even the Swiss Flyer boss Andreas Kessler knew about the job cuts. "The decision to relocate came as a complete surprise to me too," the Zurich native told Blick.
Muzzle for Flyer boss
Kessler cannot say much more because, according to the report, he has been muzzled by his German owner due to the ongoing consultation process.
So instead of managing production in Huttwil BE, it is now Kessler's job to close it down. The majority of the current 170 employees will lose their jobs.
The events of recent months had actually suggested that the site in Switzerland would be retained. At the end of September, a letter to the workforce stated that Flyer would remain a "Swiss producer". And just ten days ago, Kessler said in an interview: "Our shareholder remains committed to the Swiss e-bike production site."
Less than a week later, the bad news for the workforce in Huttwil: the employees in production were informed of their redundancy. In future, only a handful of employees in development and sales will remain in Oberaargau. However, the entire production will be integrated into existing plants abroad.
"Valley of tears"
Flyer CEO Andreas Kessler told "Velojournal" around a week ago that although stocks had been reduced, they were still at a high level. He does not expect any growth in 2025.
In the interview, Kessler spoke of a "valley of tears" that would still have to be crossed in 2025. However, the CEO did not mention any specific job cuts.
Flyer already cut around 80 jobs a year ago. Flyer's beginnings date back to the 1990s. Back then, the company BK Tech produced the first small series of e-bikes called "Flyer Classic". In the 2000s, the demand for electric bikes increased. The company built a plant in Huttwil in 2009.
With material from Keystone-SDA.
