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Opel decides to close plant in Antwerp

German automaker Opel, a unit of US car giant General Motors, said Monday it would shut down a plant in Antwerp, Belgium by the end of the year because no suitable buyer had been found.

Published: 4 October 2010 15:20 CEST
Updated: 4 October 2010 16:57 CEST

Opel decides to close plant in Antwerp

Photo: DPA

“None of the potential investors (were) able to come forward with a sustainable business concept for the plant,” Dow Jones Newswires quoted an Opel statement as saying.

“The … search (for) an industrial investor interested in continuing operations has come to an end,” Opel added.

The Belgian plant employs around 2,600 people and was founded in 1924.

An Opel spokeswoman told AFP that at the end of the year, “production will cease and the plant will be closed,” but added that the automaker “is still open to talks” on the site’s future.

Belgian trade union CSC said Monday that the decision to shut the factory “constitutes the coup de grace for workers and suppliers of Opel Antwerp.”

Opel chief executive Nick Reilly said last week that Opel might look for another investor for the plant, perhaps in the logistics sector.

Although the company expected to make a profit in 2012, it would probably report “a significant loss” this year and be hit by further restructuring charges in 2011, Reilly said.

GM wants to cut its European auto capacity by 20 percent and eliminate around 8,000 jobs so as to focus on Opel and its British sister brand Vauxhall.

The US parent company decided not to pursue European state aid for the restructuring after talks with Germany failed following an aborted attempt to sell Opel to Canadian auto parts maker Magna.

AFP/mry

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Which Bavaria-based companies regularly hire English speakers?

Munich ranks third in German cities with the highest total GDP, behind Berlin and Hamburg, but in terms of GDP per capita, it’s higher than both of them.

It also consistently ranks high, often highest, in terms of average household income.

As of 2023, nine of the 40 companies listed on DAX, Germany’s stock index, were based in Bavaria. Seven of those are based specifically in Munich.

While Frankfurt is commonly known to be Germany’s business capital, Munich can claim the title of Germany’s insurance capital, which is saying something, as Germany is home to some of the largest insurance firms in the world, like Allianz.

Beyond the state’s capital city, a number of international companies are based elsewhere in Bavaria, particularly in the Franken region, near Nuremberg.

Which companies actively hire English speakers?

Bavaria, and Munich in particular, is home to a number of companies at the forefront of international business. But the state is known for its traditional, sometimes conservative, culture, which affects its business culture as well.

Whereas companies embracing English as their primary business language are easy to find in Berlin, the practice is less common in the south. That said, there are some notable exceptions.

Sportswear giants, Adidas and Puma, both have their headquarters near Nuremberg in Herzogenaurach, and regularly recruit English speaking international talent.

“As an international company, our teams reflect the rich diversity of our consumers and communities,” Jon Greenhalgh, Senior Manager Media Relations for Adidas told The Local. “Fostering a culture of inclusion where we value and leverage differences, ensures that we can authentically engage with our employees and truly connect with our consumers.”

He added that around 40 per cent of Adidas’ Germany-based employees are foreign nationals, from over 100 different countries.

Siemens and BMW rank among Bavaria’s top employers, and are also known to hire their fair share of foreigners.

“In Germany, we recently had around 2,000 open positions,” Konstanze Somborn told The Local on behalf of Siemens AG.

He added that Siemens operates in 190 countries. “That is why we value international teams very much…English as a common language is very usual.”

READ ALSO: ‘Which German companies want to hire foreigners?’

Similarly, BMW hires workers from a variety of backgrounds.

“Every year, we hire lots of internationals and welcome them to the BMW Group,” Dr. Hans-Peter Ketterl, a press spokesman for BMW Group told The Local.

But not all of these positions are available to non-German speakers.

Ketterl added that BMW’s working language is German in the country, even though, “English is an indispensable entry requirement as the second corporate language in many areas of the company.”

Check job boards and follow best practices

If it’s your first time applying for jobs in Germany, make sure to change your resume to the German format, even for English positions.

While Germany is home to its own job boards, like Xing, LinkedIn is probably the best place to start. In addition to searching for positions based in your preferred location, you can check relevant groups, like Munich Startups, to broaden your horizons.

The English Jobs in Germany website is also a good resource to start with.

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