Vehicle test at Opel
The car maker is struggling with considerable overcapacity in its development center in Rüsselsheim.
(Photo: Opel)
Munich, Dusseldorf Germany is Segula a nearly unknown dwarf, To change that, the French development service provider plans a coup. The family business from Nanterre near Paris wants 2000 of the 7000 engineers of the automaker Opel take over and so to rise to a “general developer for vehicles”.
The bold plan: With the Opel-Developers should shoot the Segula sales in this country of notified 230 million this year to 420 million euros in 2023. The managers of Segula and Opel bargain. In the summer, the transaction should be completed. But the surely believed deal wobbles.
The majority of employees loudly reject the forthcoming transfer of business IG metal currently off. “Segula? No thanks! We stay Opel “, thousands of Opelians chanted in December during a protest march. The union fears that Segula may lack the solidity that Opelans land in a rescue organization.
Carlos Tavares, head of the Opel parent company PSA (Peugeot, Citroën), should be annoyed by the stubborn German workers only. He could have spared himself all the trouble. There was an alternative to Segula, which would probably have met with broader approval: Continental, According to Handelsblatt information from Opel Group circles, the automotive supplier from Hanover would have been prepared to take over hundreds of engineers.
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In the summer of 2018, there should have been confidential talks at the highest level. ContiManagers had auditioned directly at Opel boss Michael Lohscheller. “That was a serious matter,” it says in company circles. The Hanoverians wanted to take over a four-digit number of Opel engineers.
At Continental, interest in parts of Opel’s ITEZ development center is confirmed by business circles. The Lower Saxony has a great need for engineers, especially professionals for digitization and autonomous driving. At Opel in Rüsselsheim developers also work on so-called driver assistance systems (such as emergency brake assist, lane keeping systems), all precursors for self-driving cars.
Conti was interested in ITEZ engineers working on such systems. The supplier group is already one of the most important providers of driver assistance systems. The interest in development engineers for diesel engines, on the other hand, is “within clear limits”, was reported in the circles.
Opel is under pressure to quickly find a solution for its development center. The group is struggling in the ITEZ with considerable overcapacities. Because the development contracts of the ex-owner GM The situation is likely to worsen further from 2020 onwards. Hardly anyone denies that Opel needs a partner for ITEZ. There is no understanding in Rüsselsheim but why the choice fell on Segula and not on Conti.
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With an annual turnover of more than 44 billion euros, the Lower Saxony is finally a giant compared to the French with only about 700 million euros in revenue per annum. In addition, Conti would probably have taken over the engineers on existing terms, at Segula is unclear, a “(house) collective agreement” is conceivable. Nevertheless, Opel decided on a “strategic partnership” with the French and against a pact with the Germans.
“We explored the possibilities of a strategic partnership with various companies. The main objective is to sustainably protect the jobs in development threatened by future overcapacity at the Rüsselsheim site. Segula clearly showed the most comprehensive perspectives, “Opel explained on request.
But it is also clear: Without the approval of the collective bargaining agreement Segula risked a revolt of the IG metal, The union demands that also for those Opelaner, who work for Segula in the future, the current conditions with employment protection until 2023 apply.
more transparency
“Without security for the employees a change will not work,” Jörg Köhlinger clarifies for weeks. The district manager of IG Metall Mitte demands more transparency and openness from Opel management and Segula. So far, however, no negotiations have taken place between IG Metall and Segula. Only general introductory talks have been made.
Among the 70 most important Opel executives in the ITEZ, Martin Lange, Governor of Segula in Germany, sought confidence in November. “We want to be the employer of choice for engineers inside and outside the automotive industry,” he noted in an internal presentation. In Rüsselsheim, however, many developers had the impression that in Segula gape claim and reality far apart.
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The resistance in the workforce against the French is considerable. A failure of the deal with Segula would be a setback for Opel boss Lohscheller. The car maker is fighting on several fronts. For example, the sales decline at Opel continues unabated. Last year, the brand sold only 884,000 cars with lightning throughout Europe, a drop of more than six percent compared to 2017.
The financial statements based on German Commercial Law (HGB) for 2017 show just how difficult the announced turnaround of the car maker, which has been chronically deficient for two decades, was to achieve in 2017. Opel Automobile GmbH, which bundles the operating business of the vehicle manufacturer in this country, had to be high in 2017 Carry restructuring charges. For example, 371 million euro were due for partial retirement and early retirement programs.
In addition, contract cancellation costs for the failed construction of the SUV Mokka X in the amount of 193 million euros to book. After all: In order to secure the continued existence of Opel Automobile GmbH beyond 2019, PSA has granted the German subsidiary a credit line in the amount of 1.5 billion euros.