VW starts car dismantling in Zwickau – up to EUR 90m, later up to 1,000 jobs
Volkswagen ramps up car recycling in Zwickau. The former Playmobil plant in Dietenhofen is to become a data centre. The ifo institute sees fewer planned job cuts.
Volkswagen has begun ramping up car dismantling in Zwickau, Saxony. About 4,100 cars are to be taken apart on two shifts in 2027, rising to up to 15,000 a year by 2030. VW plans to spend up to EUR 90m on conversion, equipment and AI tools; Saxony is supporting the project with up to EUR 10.7m. The site starts with 100 staff, later up to 1,000 (dpa-AFX, 28 Oct).
In Dietenhofen, Bavaria, Playmobil's former main plant is to become a 100-megawatt data centre campus. Grid operator N-ERGIE has promised the capacity. The Horst Brandstätter Group gave no amount or timeline. When the plant closed at the end of June, 350 people lost their jobs (dpa-AFX, 28 Oct). Separately, US group GE Vernova is buying Berlin-based Trench Group, a maker of high-voltage equipment, for about USD 9bn.
Mercedes-Benz will launch a new severance scheme for non-production staff in December, without giving a number. In Marktheidenfeld, the district chief, the mayor and IG Metall want to save jobs at risk at Cummins (about 350) and Schneider Electric (about 110, incl. Lahr); the figures come from IG Metall, and Cummins has only confirmed an information and consultation process.
Listed investments total EUR 6.95bn, with 320 job cuts stated (own calculation; the table was shortened, so no comparison with yesterday). The ifo employment barometer rose to 95.5 points in October (Sep 95.1). The GfK consumer climate for November fell to −30.8 points.
| State / region | Company / project | Sector | Amount (EUR m) | Jobs (− = cuts) | Date / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saxony (Zwickau) | Volkswagen – circular economy centre: car dismantling ramps up (about 4,100 in 2027, up to 15,000 a year by 2030) | Cars / recycling | 90 | 100 | NEW: dpa-AFX, 28 Oct 2026, 09:22; 'up to EUR 90m'; Saxony support up to EUR 10.7m; 100 jobs at start, up to 1,000 |
| Bavaria (Dietenhofen, Middle Franconia) | Horst Brandstätter Group (Playmobil) – former plant to become 100 MW data centre campus | Data centres | – | – | NEW: dpa-AFX, 28 Oct 2026, 11:32; amount and timeline not stated; 350 people lost their jobs when the plant closed at end-June |
| Berlin (HQ); North Rhine-Westphalia (Troisdorf) | Trench Group (high-voltage equipment) – GE Vernova (US) buys it from Triton for about USD 9bn | Grid equipment | – | – | NEW: GE Vernova, 28 Oct 2026; over 3,000 staff, 11 plants; closing expected end-2027; acquisition, not an investment – not in total |
| Baden-Württemberg (Stuttgart) and nationwide | Mercedes-Benz – new voluntary severance scheme for non-production staff from December | Cars | – | – | dpa-AFX, 28 Oct 2026, 13:42 (announced end-September); no number given |
| Bavaria (Marktheidenfeld-Altfeld) | Cummins (about 350 jobs) and Schneider Electric (about 110, incl. Lahr) – jobs at risk; district chief, mayor and IG Metall meet | Engines / electrical | – | – | Radio Gong, 28 Oct 2026; IG Metall figures from 17/19 Sep; Cummins confirms only a consultation process – not in total |
| Bavaria (Garching) | Suss Microtec – ends production in Garching | Semiconductors / machinery | – | −70 | dpa-AFX, 27 Oct 2026 |
| Thuringia (Erfurt) | State of Thuringia – expansion of state data centre | Public IT | 63 | – | Kommune21, 27 Oct 2026; complete by end-2030 |
| Bavaria (Gerolzhofen) and Thuringia (Nordhausen) | Aryzta – two plants close, output moves to Eisleben | Bakery | – | −250 | dpa-AFX / AWP, 26 Oct 2026; net about 250 jobs |
| Hesse (Frankfurt am Main) | Amazon Web Services – expansion of AWS Europe region (part of over EUR 16bn for 2027) | Cloud / data centres | 4,800 | – | Amazon press release, 20 Oct 2026 |
| Hesse (Frankfurt, Höchst Industrial Park) | Sanofi – new insulin plant | Pharma | 2,000 | – | dpa, 19 Oct 2026; groundbreaking; operation from 2032 |
| Indicator | Value (points) | Prior month (points) | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| ifo employment barometer, October | 95.5 | 95.1 | 28 Oct 2026 (BTA) |
| IAB labour market barometer, October (above 100 = positive trend) | 100.1 | – | 28 Oct 2026 (dpa-AFX) |
| GfK/NIM consumer climate, November | −30.8 | −30.6 | 28 Oct 2026 (dts) |
| – income expectations | −15.7 | −15.0 | 28 Oct 2026 (dts) |
| – propensity to save | 17.2 | 21.5 | 28 Oct 2026 (dts) |
For information only, not investment advice. Prices as of the time stated, not real-time quotes.
Sources
- onvista/dpa-AFX – VW startet Hochlauf für Auto-Demontage in Zwickau (28.10.2026, 09:22)
- ARIVA.DE/dpa-AFX – Playmobil-Werk soll zu Rechenzentrum werden (28.10.2026, 11:32)
- GE Vernova – GE Vernova va acquérir Trench Group (Pressemitteilung, 28.10.2026)
- WirtschaftsWoche – GE Vernova kauft Trench Group (28.10.2026, 18:39)
- finanzen.at/dpa-AFX – ROUNDUP: Trübere Aussichten bei Mercedes-Benz (28.10.2026, 13:42)
- Radio Gong – Marktheidenfeld/Altfeld: Landrat und Bürgermeister äußern sich zu Stellenabbau (28.10.2026, 14:35)
- AD HOC NEWS – Cummins-Werk Marktheidenfeld: 350 Arbeitsplätze vor Schließung (19.09.2026)
- ARIVA.DE/dpa-AFX – Überblick: Unternehmen vom 28.10.2026, 15.15 Uhr
- ARIVA.DE/dpa-AFX – Überblick: Konjunktur vom 28.10.2026, 17.00 Uhr (IAB-Barometer)
- БТА – Германските компании смекчават плановете за съкращения през октомври, отчита „Ифо“ (28.10.2026, 12:31)
- AD HOC NEWS/dts – Verbraucherstimmung bleibt im November bei −30,8 Punkten (28.10.2026, 08:00)
- finanzen.at/dpa-AFX – ROUNDUP: Suss Microtec verlagert Produktion (27.10.2026)
- move/Kommune21 – Mehr Raum für die Landes-IT (27.10.2026)
- finanzen.net/dpa-AFX – Aryzta schließt zwei deutsche Werke (26.10.2026)
- Amazon Press Center – 16 Mrd. Euro Investitionen für 2027 in Deutschland (20.10.2026)
- onvista/dpa – Sanofi baut neue Insulinfabrik in Frankfurt für zwei Milliarden (19.10.2026)
