After less than reassuring statements from Carlos Tavares, the boss of Stellantis, on the subject of certain French factories, several thousand employees of the group are wondering what sauce they will be eaten with.
While the Volkswagen group seems to crystallize all the news with the potential closure of three factories in Germany, a first in the history of the manufacturer, the end of the job guarantee and a slew of layoffs, on the Stellantis side , things are also happening behind the scenes.
Indeed, despite a cost reduction strategy that is committed to say the least on the part of its boss, Carlos Tavares, the Stellantis group is also not escaping the slowdown in sales of electric cars, the drop in demand and the increasing costs.
Flexibility will save some factories
Carlos Tavares already sounded the alarm a few weeks ago. The latter did not rule out the possibility of factory closures in the coming months. This announcement had the effect of a massive blow for the group's employees, so much so that some of them decided to strike, in order to go directly to the last Paris World Cup to demonstrate.
But then, which factories could be threatened? In Hordain, where Stellantis produces vehicles powered by three types of energy – hydrogen, electric and thermal – management is reassuring.
She highlights a well-filled order book, which, according to her, would mitigate the risks of closure. This energy versatility offers a certain stability to the factory's 2,500 employees. But not everyone is in the same boat, unfortunately.
The game of musical chairs?
And for good reason, in Douvrin, the tone is very different. The factory, specialized in the production of thermal engineshas been facing multiple difficulties for several years. The FO union denounces the lack of investments to modernize the site and the gradual decline in the production of thermal engines. In addition, part of the production of hybrid engines has been relocated to Hungary.
The problem is not new, since the unions had already expressed their discontent during a mobilization last June. The situation is all the more tense as the neighboring ACC factorydedicated to the manufacture of electric batteries, seems to capture all the financial and human efforts of Stellantis. The latter, located near that of Douvrin, has already absorbed 300 employees via voluntary redeployment plans. For the remaining 700 or so, the future is uncertain, and many fear a major social plan.
The historic Poissy factory on borrowed time?
At the historic Poissy factory, which still produces the Opel Mokka and the DS 3, the situation is hardly more reassuring. While most of Stellantis' Spanish factories have been modernized with the modification of assembly lines to accommodate the group's new platform, in Poissy, nothing has happened. Worse, according to the unions, nothing would be planned and the factory could be condemned in 2027 if the situation does not change.
Remember that, in mid-November, the group will unveil a production plan for the next three years, as announced by Xavier Chéreau, director of human resources at Stellantis.
