Enercon Cuts 3,000 Jobs - German Government to Blame

Last year wind turbine manufacturer Enercon already had to cut 800 jobs in Germany, now another 3,000 are to follow. Especially the locations in Aurich and Magdeburg with 1,500 jobs each are affected by the redundancies, said Enercon spokesman Felix Rehwald to NDR on Saturday. The exact extent at the individual locations and the effects on the supply chain are not yet foreseeable. The job cuts will probably effect production partners, suppliers, crafts enterprises and regional time work companies.

Failed policy is responsible for the crisis, Enercon managing director Hans Dieter Kettwig told German paper Süddeutsche: "The policy pulled the plug for us. And we don't have a battery". Especially not one that is capable of fast charging: Even the international business couldn't compensate for the slump in the short term.

Enercon's corporate structure might ensure that a whole series of small 'production partners' are also dragged into the abyss. Instead of manufacturing the individual parts of the wind turbines themselves, the company has outsourced production to subcontractors. 27 'production partners' receive more than half of Enercon's orders, some of which have no other customer. "We're pulling the rug out from these companies' feet," Kettwig continues. But for lack of orders, there's no alternative.

The company spokesman announced that there will be talks with politicians this week. However, it is questionable what benefits will result from that. In recent months, the German government has impressively demonstrated that it is not interested in jobs in the renewable energy sector.