Bearing and motion technology supplier Schaeffler announced a further performance improvement program on 3 November 2026 in Herzogenaurach. The program provides for a net reduction of 3,460 positions in Europe, about 2,660 of them in Germany. The company expects the measures to deliver an annual earnings improvement of about EUR 300 million from 2030.
According to the company, the Board of Managing Directors launched the new program after completing the restructuring measures announced in November 2024 and concluding 1,800 partial-retirement agreements in early October. Schaeffler cites weak demand for vehicles with combustion engines, the delayed ramp-up of electric mobility, high costs per employee in Germany and an overly complex organization with too many management levels. The program aims to reduce overcapacity, adjust development capacity, lower personnel costs and simplify the organization.
16 European locations affected
The measures affect 16 locations in Europe. About 50 percent of the positions to be cut are in production, 30 percent in research and development and 20 percent in other functions. Five site closures are planned, four of them in Germany: Dortmund (about 430 employees) and Morbach (about 160 employees), both part of Powertrain & Chassis and producing combustion-engine products; Berlin (about 270 employees), where operations are to be discontinued; Schwalbach, where many of the roughly 385 employees are expected to move to Frankfurt; and Herstal in Belgium (about 15 employees).
In Germany, toolmaking at Höchstadt is to be discontinued, special machinery activities at Erlangen and Schweinfurt are to be adjusted, and capacity and structural changes are planned at Herzogenaurach, Bühl, Höchstadt, Nuremberg and Regensburg. Outside Germany, production and development adjustments are planned at Haguenau and Toulouse in France and at Skalica and Kysuce in Slovakia. The structural measures are mainly scheduled for 2027 and 2028.
Impact in Germany and costs
Measured against a core workforce of 31,957 in Germany as of 30 September 2026, the reduction corresponds to about 9 percent of positions by 2028; including earlier programs and the 1,800 partial-retirement agreements, the figure rises to about 18 percent, the company said. One-time expenses of about EUR 480 million are expected, mostly to be booked as restructuring provisions in 2026.
The program also includes a temporary, voluntary compensation reduction, described as a solidarity contribution, starting with the Board of Managing Directors and covering all hierarchical levels; its details are still being worked out. Schaeffler expects it to ease results in 2027 and 2028. CEO Klaus Rosenfeld described the solidarity contribution as the most important element of the program and said the company wants to show that it is both possible and sensible to develop and manufacture competitively in Germany and Europe.
Focus on growth areas
According to Schaeffler, part of the job reduction is to be offset by new positions in growth areas, which the company names as humanoid robotics and defense. COO Dr. Jochen Schröder said that, in addition to the core business, the group has promising growth opportunities in future-oriented fields. Chief Human Resources Officer Dr. Astrid Fontaine said that, as a family-owned company, it is important to implement the measures in a socially responsible manner and in dialogue with employee representatives. The company said implementation will take place in close dialogue with the works councils on the basis of the 2018 Future Accord.
Sources
- Schaeffler AG, “Schaeffler announces further performance improvement program”, Herzogenaurach, 3 November 2026 — schaeffler.com
Image: Schaeffler AG
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