Mercedes HR manager announces job cuts at certain locations
Created: 12/22/2022, 11:32 am
By: Julian Baumann
Mercedes HR Manager Sabine Kohleisen emphasizes the importance of digitization, but also confirms that the change will be accompanied by job cuts.
© Julian Rettig/dpa
Mercedes HR Manager Sabine Kohleisen sees major changes coming to the car company.
Digitization and transformation will cost jobs at certain locations.
Stuttgart - The central topics for the future of the Mercedes-Benz car group are, on the one hand, the change to e-mobility and, on the other hand, the stronger focus on luxury.
As part of the e-car transformation, Mercedes-Benz completed the e-car quartet this year with the presentation of the EQE SUV. In 2024, the eagerly awaited electric G-Class is also scheduled to come onto the market.
For the big change, the global corporation from Stuttgart recently presented the plan for several important plants.
Mercedes-Benz is converting the most important engine plants to electric from 2024.
The conversion will be accompanied by job cuts at certain Mercedes-Benz locations, especially those that produce powertrains, as feared, as Mercedes HR Manager Sabine Kohleisen confirmed to the
German Press Agency
(dpa).
"It will be the case that we will have fewer jobs at these locations," said the manager.
She cannot currently say how many jobs will be lost, as this depends on the ramp-up of e-mobility.
Mercedes-Benz: Big changes for locations - but HR manager also sees opportunities
Although Mercedes-Benz is constantly expanding the range of electric cars from the Mercedes-EQ brand - according to reports, a new electric C-Class based on the EQXX research car is planned - the group is currently still producing significantly more passenger cars with combustion engines.
That is why there is currently still full employment in the powertrain plants, since the combustion engine still accounts for a large proportion of production, said Sabine Kohleisen.
It takes more people to produce an engine and transmission than to drive an electric vehicle.
The Mercedes works council said, however, that the new orientation should not be implemented "to the detriment of the employees".
It takes fewer people to design an e-car model than to produce engines and transmissions.
© Mercedes-Benz AG - Global Communication
Accordingly, there would be major changes at the locations.
On the other hand, new products and technologies would also be brought to the locations, combined with the opportunity to qualify for new employment profiles.
It's about "embracing change," explained the Head of Human Resources at Mercedes-Benz.
In the summer, Kohleisen had announced an offensive in further training.
By 2023, 1.3 billion euros are to be invested in Germany "to meet the challenges of the transformation".
Kohleisen was satisfied with the run-up.
Since September, 25,000 employees have activated their access from 80,000 licenses.
"We are pleased that this is so well received and that the employees themselves are taking action," she said.
Mercedes Head of Human Resources: Digitization is just as important as e-cars - "if not even more so"
However, the switch to the production of e-cars is only part of the transformation of the auto industry.
“As I see it, everyone is always talking about electromobility.
Digitization is at least as historic a turning point, if not even more so," the HR manager at Mercedes-Benz made clear to the
dpa
.
Digitization affects all areas of the company, not just the powertrain plants.
"Everywhere, for example, the question arises: How do I deal with data and how can I derive insights from data?"
It is also about asking yourself which processes can be digitized and automated in order to do more valuable things in the time that is then available.
"From my point of view, this is the huge transformation," said Kohleisen.
Mercedes-Benz has almost reached its goal of hiring 3,000 software developers worldwide.
2,300 are now on board, said the personnel manager.
The goal has been achieved at the Sindelfingen site, where 1,000 software developers are to be hired.
A new overarching hiring target is currently not planned.
(with agency material)
