MAN, one of Germany’s key commercial vehicle manufacturers, is preparing for a significant restructuring phase that will reshape its workforce over the coming decade. The company has confirmed that around 2,300 positions will be gradually reduced at its German sites—without layoffs and in what it describes as a fully socially responsible process.
The planned cuts affect three major locations: Munich with about 1,300 positions, Salzgitter with 600, and Nuremberg with around 400 jobs. According to the company, these changes are designed to secure long-term competitiveness amid a weakening truck market.
Why MAN is restructuring now
The company points to a persistent downturn in demand for trucks in Germany, paired with high electricity costs, rising labour expenses and increasing competitive pressure from Asian manufacturers. These factors have squeezed profitability and accelerated the need for structural adjustments.
A company spokesperson explained that MAN is entering a “high investment phase,” emphasising that sustained profitability is essential to expand its product range. The shift toward electrification plays a major role, as European truck manufacturers prepare for widespread adoption of electric commercial vehicles.
No layoffs planned, production sites to remain open
MAN stresses that the job reductions will span ten years and occur mainly through natural attrition, such as retirements. The company expects that the number of departing employees will exceed the positions being cut, enabling the firm to continue hiring new staff in key areas.
Despite fears of downsizing, the company insists on its commitment to Germany as a manufacturing base. All production sites—Munich, Nuremberg, Salzgitter and Wittlich—are slated to remain operational. MAN plans to invest €1 billion across its German facilities over the next five years.
Union fears production shift to Poland
However, not everyone is reassured. IG Metall and the works council have sharply criticised the restructuring concept, warning that parts of the production process may be relocated to Poland. Union representatives fear that shifting essential components of truck manufacturing abroad could jeopardise the future role of the Munich headquarters.
Sybille Wankel of IG Metall expressed concern that core elements of truck production may be gradually moved across the border. If major components are manufactured entirely in Poland and merely transported to Munich for final assembly, she argues, it becomes realistic that at some point even assembly work could be moved as well.
Accusations of insufficient willingness to negotiate
The chair of the group works council, Karina Schnur, voiced strong frustration with the company’s approach. She accused MAN’s leadership of refusing to genuinely consider alternatives to the relocation plans, calling the stance “a slap in the face” to employees who have consistently supported the brand.
Union leaders warn that such decisions carry deep long-term risks, potentially undermining both local employment and the strategic importance of the German sites within the broader corporate structure.
An industry in transition
The restructuring at MAN reflects broader shifts within Europe’s commercial vehicle sector. As electrification accelerates and competition intensifies, manufacturers face the dual challenge of reducing costs while investing heavily in new technologies.
For MAN, the coming years will define whether the combination of job cuts, cost adjustments and future-oriented investments can secure its standing in a rapidly changing market—or whether union concerns of erosion at key sites will materialise.
