Asia is destroying the European household appliances industry. A Polish company lays off employees
According to “Nowa Trybuna Opolska”, employment at the plant is expected to decrease by up to 20 percent, which means that nearly 200 people will remain unemployed.
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Voluntary departures instead of collective layoffs. For how long?
The company's problems did not appear suddenly. Although in 2025 the company celebrated its 25th anniversary of operations in Namysłów, in February this year the first information about the need for restructuring came to light. To avoid sudden group layoffs, the management board, in consultation with the trade unions, launched an alternative solution.
— There are no collective layoffs for now, but the company has proposed a voluntary departure program for employees. We negotiated it and I think the conditions are very favorable – says Grzegorz Adamczyk, vice-chairman of the regional board and chairman of KZ NSZZ “Solidarność” at Diehl Controls in Namysłów, quoted by “NTO”.
The program is to run until the end of the year and ultimately cover up to 25 percent. from a crew of nearly 900 people. The job cuts are being made gradually, in monthly installments. So far, about 60 employees have left the plant – mainly people just acquiring pension rights. The final scale of reductions will crystallize in September, but the specter of deeper cuts still hangs over the factory if the market situation does not improve.
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Cheap imports from Asia and the collapse of European customers
Representatives of the social side directly point to the culprit of the current crisis. In their opinion, the European household appliances industry is systematically destroyed by an unequal fight with Asian producers.
“Production there is cheaper not only because of cheaper labor, but primarily because of the lack of environmental fees. We, as Europe, are losing this race” – says Grzegorz Adamczyk.
The flood of cheaper goods from China led to a decline in the key trading partners of the Namysłów company. Two large Bosch factories, to which Diehl Controls supplied as much as one fifth of its total production, were closed. The loss of such a huge sales market put the Polish plant against the wall.
