ZF Friedrichshafen in crisis mode: Large suppliers survive, small ones come under pressure!

ZF Friedrichshafen in crisis mode: Large suppliers survive, small ones come under pressure!

Friedrichshafen, Deutschland - The auto industry is facing a storm! While giants such as ZF Friedrichshafen, Bosch and Continental master switching to electromobility, smaller suppliers are fighting for survival. ZF, one of the largest companies in the industry, has just published the shock message: up to 14,000 jobs are to be canceled by the end of 2028. A hard blow for the once flowering group, which has its roots in the production of driven for combustion engines.

The transformation to electromobility mercilessly shows its effects. While the big players adapt to loans and enormous financial strength, smaller medium -sized companies such as the Seat Feders Erwin Lutz and the supplier WKW, the decorative strips for prominent car brands such as Mercedes and BMW, fall victim to the bankruptcy. The well -known Recaro brand, which produces luxurious car seats for Aston Martin and Lamborghini, must also register bankruptcy. Here 215 employees in Kirchheim Unter Teck are facing an uncertain future after the company has generated sales of around 50 million euros in recent years.

small suppliers in the crisis

The emergency of the small suppliers runs through the entire industry. While large companies confidently tackle the change to electromobility, many smaller companies face this. Politicians raise the alarm, because every third work in Germany is now in danger. ZF's head of the works council speaks of a "blind job cut". But not only are positions lost, private companies such as the Swabian supplier Elring-Klinger are also affected, who recently sold two of his subsidiaries to stay financially over water.

Another point on the horizon: The car supplier Leonie is about to sell. The deal with the Chinese cable manufacturer Luxshare ensures political tensions because the German government fears the dependency of China. Minister Robert Habeck will ultimately have to decide on this critical transaction - the future of the German supplier industry is uncertain!