The carnage of automotive subcontractors continues. In receivership since the end of October, the Amis company (Sifcor group) announced to employees on Friday December 6 the elimination of 188 positions. This manufacturer of pinions intended in particular for gearboxes previously employed 380 people between Montluçon in Allier and Guéret in Creuse.
The Creuse factory will definitely shut down with the dismissal of the 40 employees on the site. The main site in Montluçon, which covers 37,000 m2, will lose half of its workforce. Amis says he is forced to proceed with this massive social plan due to a collapsing order book. Turnover has almost been halved since 2019 when annual losses amount to several million euros.
« The automobile market has been collapsing significantly in recent years.measures Philippe Dufeutrelle, general director of Amis. When you find yourself with work for only 190 people, you have to find solutions… » Neither the partial unemployment put in place since Covid nor the legal recovery period will have enabled a rebound. Candidates for takeover were notably hampered by a debt of several tens of millions of euros and unappealing business prospects.
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The excitement of the territories
But the employees did not envisage a social plan of this magnitude. “We did not expect the Guéret site to close even though we knew the reduced activitytestifies David Parlon, worker and CGT delegate. And to point out the responsibility of the manufacturers. Our two major clients, Stellantis and Renault, will turn to countries where labor is cheaper. »
The same accusation is taken up by the leader. “ Large manufacturers are looking for partners and subcontractors mainly in low-cost countries.points out Philippe Dufeutrelle. They will buy in India, in China, where we produce for at least 20% less. »
One social plan after another, this desertion, which manufacturers say they are forced to carry out to remain competitive with Chinese vehicles, has created strong emotion in the territories. The president of Grand Guéret, Eric Correia, thus testifies to a state “ of astonishment and anger » after the announcement of the closure. “The Guéret factory has a production quality recognized by all. We don't understand how the company can remove such a nugget.”he fumes. A misunderstanding that sprouts wherever industrial ships falter.
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