Bosch Power Tools announces proposal to restructure Stowmarket location
28-05-2019
- Proposal to relocate garden-tool manufacturing to Miskolc, Hungary
- Difficult business situation due to cost pressures
Robert Bosch Power Tools GmbH has announced a proposal to restructure the company’s power tools location in Stowmarket, United Kingdom. The site employs 250 people in the manufacture and development of garden tools. The proposed restructuring would potentially affect up to 140 jobs in manufacturing from the end of 2019. The manufacturing facilities in Stowmarket have faced difficult business conditions for many years, due to economic pressures from increased competition in the garden tools market. Despite initiatives in cost reduction and efficiency improvement, the situation has not improved sufficiently. It is proposed to relocate the manufacturing of garden tools to the Power Tools plant in Miskolc, Hungary, to make it more cost efficient.
Consultation with employee representatives
Associates at Stowmarket have been personally informed about the proposed reorganization. Consultation meetings with the employee representatives and associates will be held in the days ahead. In addition to consultation on the proposal, the meetings will review the support that would be provided to associates, such as enhanced severance packages, support in job seeking and training to enhance employability.
Difficult business situation due to cost pressure
The garden tools manufactured in Stowmarket have been subject to increasing cost pressure, and their competitiveness has decreased significantly. The decision is not based on Brexit, but linked to the strategic business development of Bosch Power Tool’s home and garden segment. The proposed changes will al-low Bosch Power Tools to focus its home and garden activities on the develop-ment of innovative new products in the growing cordless segment.
Bosch has been present in the United Kingdom since 1898, when Robert Bosch established his first international sales office in London. With sales figures of 3.3 billion pounds sterling in 2018, the United Kingdom is currently Bosch’s largest European market after Germany and fourth worldwide.
Bosch UK employs around 5,100 associates at around 40 locations.
Contact person for press enquiries
Communications
Phone: +44 (0) 1895 83 8822
communications@uk.bosch.com
Heather Butcher
Phone: +44 1895 83-8610
heather.butcher@de.bosch.com
Martin Steinlehner
Phone: +49 711 758-3132
Martin.Steinlehner@de.bosch.com