Heidelberg Concludes Employee Negotiations to Adjust Production Levels

Global headcount to fall below 14,000 by mid-2014
The agreement reached on a wide-ranging package of measures will ensure the company’s profitability targets can be met. Most of the job cuts in Germany will be achieved by mid-2014 through voluntary redundancies, including options for older staff. This will ensure a balanced age structure at the company and prevent qualified staff from having to leave based on social criteria.

Staff whose jobs disappear as a result of structural changes and adjustments to achieve greater flexibility will have the option of moving to a transfer and qualification company. The planned job cuts outside Germany are also under way.

Immediate capacity reduction of around 15 percent with rapid and sustainable cost savings
Shortening the working week to 31.5 hours for all staff and reducing remuneration levels accordingly will put in place a long-term, collectively agreed arrangement that will lower personnel costs and immediately cut capacities at the German production sites by 15 percent. Taking the shorter working week as a basis, working-time accounts can be used to adapt individual working hours to the relevant capacity utilization. This will enable the company to make working times far more flexible and respond effectively to changing market requirements in the future.

“Thanks to the rapid consensus, we are in a position to implement the agreed measures earlier than expected on May 1 this year and achieve the planned job cuts through socially acceptable means. Taken as a whole, the agreement reached represents a big step toward achieving the target operating result before special items of around €150 million in financial year 2013/2014,” said Schreier.

Sales structures adapted - realignment of research & development
The company has introduced measures to adapt its global sales organization to the changed market conditions. The adjustment of activities in industrialized nations is being accompanied by an increased presence in emerging markets. To significantly reduce structural costs, sales activities have been pooled and specific markets restructured. Comprehensive support for the global customer base will still be ensured.