The most recent bad news from the world of car suppliers comes from Schweinfurt again. The Board of Directors of ZF Friedrichshafen wanted to extend a working time reduction from 35 to 32.5 hours that had been running since December 2024 for around 5,500 employees beyond June 30th. An agreement with the works council already stood.
However, the employee representatives burst them on Thursday. In the recent talks, the board of directors did not show any “sustainable image of the future for the Schweinfurt location”, it was said as a reason. In Franconia, there is fear that ZF is his In the worst case
.
According to the veto of the works council for further reduction in working hours, there are now only threatening up to 650 operating terminations in Schweinfurt – if management and workers do not agree on other options.
ZF is just one of many examples for automotive suppliers who are deep in the crisis, but maybe one of the most drastic. This is also shown by the latest study by Beryll’s management consultancy, which once a year lists the world’s largest automotive supplier after sales. In 2023 ZF Friedrichshafen had made it to third place there. Last year ZF slipped to 6th place. Bosch also landed at the forefront in 2024 with sales of almost 55.8 billion euros, followed by the Japanese supplier Denso (45.5 billion euros) and Continental (39.7 billion euros). Conti should After the upcoming split
of the group, however, fall back in the ranking in the future.
A weak consolation should be for ZF that almost everyone in the industry is suffering. With 69 of the 100 large suppliers, sales fell last year. The malaise at the top of the ranking becomes particularly clear: With Schaeffler, only one of the 20 largest car suppliers has grown last year – and only thanks to the takeover of the drive specialist Vitesco.
Many suppliers continue to struggle with the transformation of the scene. In day -to -day business, the weakening automotive production, which was declining by 2.2 percent last year. The situation in Europe is particularly critical: around 5 percent less cars were built here in 2024 than a year earlier.
Even some battery and semiconductor specialists who have grown rapidly in recent years and climbed in the Berylls ranking have recently lost driving. The battery manufacturers Catl (-12.7 percent), LG (-28.3 percent) or Samsung SDI (-41.5 percent) were even the greatest losers of sales. She braked the weak demand for electric cars.
Germany’s position “eroded”
With all the difficulties and falling sales, the suppliers were able to surprise positively, at least when it comes to margin. On average, the average only slightly fell from 5.9 to 5.8 percent. However, the reason for this does not allow any jubilitation jumps: the Berylls experts are primarily responsible for the numerous savings and restructuring programs with the suppliers.
The study authors are particularly concerned about suppliers in the classic autonations of Germany, Japan or the USA. Example Germany: The gross domestic product has grown by 19 percent since 2019. In contrast, auto suppliers only increased by 8 percent on average. “This discrepancy is a clear indication that the strong position of German suppliers in global competition has increasingly eroded,” the analysis says.
In contrast, in countries such as Korea, China, France, Ireland, Sweden, Spain, India, Switzerland and the Netherlands, it was possible to better set up the supplier industry. There are often specialized companies in growth -strong technology fields, paired with a consistent industrial policy. China is particularly evident. In 2024 alone, four new Chinese suppliers made it into the top 100 ranking.
It should not be easier for the local suppliers in the foreseeable future. Chinese companies are increasingly expanding into new markets. The pressure already ensures noticeable shifts in the portfolios: shops outside the auto industry are gaining in importance, in 2024 they already made up 17.5 percent of the sales of the large suppliers.