Valeo closes two factories in France, 868 jobs eliminated

The automotive supplier Valeo plans to cut 868 positions on eight of its French sites, the group's management said on Wednesday without specifying the deadline.

The equipment manufacturer's employees have been waiting since July, they are now settled. Mired in the crisis facing the sector, the group announced this Wednesday the elimination of a thousand positions in France and Europe.

“A simple move”

The ax fell at the start of the afternoon. After Michelin, it is Valeo which must resolve, to remain competitive, to cut its workforce. First site to close its doors, the La Verrière R&D center, in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. The factory had become “far too dilapidated” according to the company which will offer its 365 employees reclassification in its two other research centers, also located in the Paris region, in Cergy and Créteil.

“It’s a simple move,” insists the company’s management. The shock is harsher for the 300 employees of Suze sur Sarthe, who notably produce battery coolers. The site will also close its doors. Valeo had been looking for a buyer since July, without success. Solutions will be offered for production operators at a nearby site, in Sablé sur Sarthe, assures the company.

Breakage is also very important in Saint Quentin Fallavier, in Isère. The site produces hybridization systems. Valeo will cut 238 jobs here, leaving only around a hundred employees in the factory.

694 forced departures and 174 voluntary departures

Valeo will also carry out workforce reductions at 5 other sites, in Sainte Florine in Haute-Loire, in Laval, in Amiens, in Reims and in Limoges. In total, of the 14,000 positions the company has in France, 868 will be eliminated according to Valeo, which counts 694 forced departures and 174 voluntary departures.

Force Ouvrière for its part assures that it is rather 1000 to 1200 positions which will disappear in France. The union believes that, even if electrification represents a major turning point for the company, “it must not be to the detriment of employees”.

Valeo ensures that all employees concerned will be offered a solution within the group. Management justifies this social plan by an “automotive industrial context in Europe, which is not buoyant”. “We must give ourselves the means to remain competitive,” she explains.

Faced with the slowdown in the automobile market and a difficult adaptation to electric mobility, Valeo will also cut nearly 200 jobs in 3 other European countries, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic.