MAN, the commercial vehicle brand under Traton, plans to cut 2,300 jobs across three German sites over the next ten years, citing weak demand and rising cost pressures. The company told DPA the reductions would be implemented gradually and without compulsory redundancies, describing the plans as “absolutely socially responsible.”
A spokesperson said the job cuts would be balanced by natural retirements during the same period, allowing MAN to hire selectively while maintaining operations in Germany. The workforce is expected to decline from more than 15,000 to about 13,000. “All our production sites in Munich, Nuremberg, Salzgitter and Wittlich are to be retained,” the spokesperson said.
The company said the decision reflects a broader need to “adapt to the persistently weak truck market in Germany” and improve cost efficiency. MAN pointed to sluggish sales, high electricity and labour costs, and growing competition from Asia as factors straining profitability. At the same time, it said investment requirements remain high as it prepares to scale electric truck production. “We are now entering a phase of high investment and must generate sustained profits in order to expand our product portfolio,” the spokesperson added.
Munich Faces Largest Reductions
The Munich plant will see the biggest impact, with around 1,300 positions expected to be cut—more than half of the total. Another 600 jobs are slated to be eliminated in Salzgitter and 400 in Nuremberg, though MAN has not disclosed which functions or departments will be affected.
The Bavarian sites are central to MAN’s electric truck production plans. Battery packs for models ranging from the eTGL to the eTGX are manufactured in Nuremberg, and the Munich plant began series production of the heavy-duty eTGX earlier this year. MAN has also said its 89 kWh truck batteries will be used in electric buses such as the Lion’s City 10 E. It remains unclear whether the restructuring will affect ongoing electrification projects.
Unions Question Commitment to German Manufacturing
Trade union IG Metall and the works council expressed concern that the long-term future of German manufacturing could be at risk, pointing to MAN’s intention to shift certain operations to Poland. Sybille Wankel of IG Metall said that if components are increasingly sourced from Poland, it could eventually put Munich assembly jobs at risk. “If, in future, all parts for a truck are manufactured in Poland and transported from there to Munich solely for assembly, it is obvious that at some point assembly in Munich will also be up for discussion,” she said. Works council chair Karina Schnur criticised management for not seriously evaluating alternatives, calling the situation “a slap in the face for the people here in Munich who work hard every day for MAN.”
MAN CEO Alexander Vlaskamp said in a recent interview that the commercial vehicle sector remains “very tense due to the economic situation,” particularly for logistics companies that struggle to afford electric trucks without subsidies. He said small and medium-sized enterprises form the “backbone of the industry” but often cannot benefit from tax incentives. He added that delays in charging infrastructure and policy implementation leave manufacturers carrying disproportionate risks, arguing that “the whole debate about technological openness is therefore not a long-term industrial policy.”
Source: Handelsblatt