The decision of the traditional company Geiger Automotive to relocate the two Bavarian locations of Murnau and Ziemetshausen to Penzberg met with understanding from the general works council.
It is hoped that this will secure the automotive supplier's future.
Local politicians, however, are not enthusiastic about the emigration.
Murnau / Penzberg
- It was evidently a precisely coordinated action with which Geiger Automotive informed the public and the workforce about the relocation plans on Monday.
Shortly before 5 p.m., the Tagblatt editorial team received a press release in which managing director Martin Thorbjörnson announced that the Bavarian plants Murnau and Ziemetshausen (near Augsburg) would be merged in Penzberg.
In the industrial city of the neighboring district of Weilheim-Schongau, a new location with an estimated 400 employees is to be built on the site of the former HAP plant (Hörmann Automotive Penzberg) (we reported).
Company belongs to the Japanese Sanoh group
The Chairman of the General Works Council, Mario Herrmann, can understand the strategic course that had already emerged in March this year.
Because: "We can no longer expand in Murnau," explains the employee representative.
The problem is not new - and has repeatedly preoccupied local politicians: the internationally positioned company, which belongs to the Japanese Sanoh Group, has in the past clearly complained about the lack of development opportunities at its headquarters in the Neu-Egling district.
In Penzberg, on the other hand, there is plenty of space: the production and logistics area alone covers almost 30,000 square meters.
Herrmann hopes that Geiger Automotive will make itself fit for the future in this way.
He comments on the step with the words "painfully positive".
According to him, there are no dismissals in the room - and all employees should also receive a takeover offer.
But in Ziemetshausen only a small part should be ready to move to Penzberg.
“The distance is too great,” says Herrmann.
A new building between the two locations would have been ideal.
Specialist in plastic parts
The name Geiger is closely connected with the Garmisch-Partenkirchen district: the specialist for plastic parts has its origins in the Geiger Plastik company, which was founded in the district in 1960.
The auto supplier industry is considered to be very vulnerable to economic cycles.
Last year, the traditional company put the red pencil on and cut jobs in the course of a "restructuring".
According to the works council, the plant in Murnau currently has around 250 employees.
"It is a shame that one of the largest medium-sized companies is leaving our district," says District Administrator Anton Speer (Free Voters).
Unfortunately, there was a lack of large areas for industrial settlement in this country - "and we cannot offer such an infrastructure as the Geiger company found in Penzberg," admits the head of the district authority.
Nevertheless, he is happy that the jobs will at least be preserved in the region.
According to Speer, the move also offers opportunities “to redevelop the industrial site in Neu-Egling”.
For this, the economic development is now asked.
Murnau's mayor Rolf Beuting (ÖDP / Bürgerforum) sees it similarly: “We very much regret the move,” he says.
In the past few years the market has endeavored to identify development opportunities on site.
But the town hall chief also comes to the bitter conclusion: "Ultimately, the northern district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen cannot keep up with the local conditions of other regions at the moment." It is the task of the municipalities to change this.
In the Penzberg town hall, the news about the change of location was understandably well received: "We are very pleased that such a large employer is coming to the HAP site," says Mayor Stefan Korpan (CSU).
Geiger Automotive, he thinks, has a good name and reputation.
If you have the chance that such a company will move to Penzberg, you shouldn't say no.
The site on Seeshaupter Strasse has been fallow for three months.
On June 30th, HAP had ceased operations.
