Polytec Holding (Hörsching / Austria; www.polytec-group.com) has declined to comment on rumours that 300 jobs could be on the line at Polytec Intex (Morsbach / Germany), as negotiations with the workforce are ongoing. However, the company confirmed the need to realign itself in the struggling automotive sector. Order off-take by OEMs has dropped significantly, it said.

Werner Kusel, from the IG Metall union, said that 300 jobs were under discussion. Negotiations started on 28 January 2009 but were adjourned because employee representatives had difficulty relating to the management’s position. Kusel said: “They could not convince us of the need to reschedule orders." It was also unclear which orders were affected. The automotive supplier has now announced short-time working for its staff in February and March.

Polytec Intex, formerly ISE Intex, produces mainly textile-coated trims for A, B and C columns and car doors, principally for customers in Germany. The two units employ almost 600 production and assembly workers. Polytec acquired ISE Intex out of receivership in 2007 – see Plasteurope.com of 05.06.2007. At the time, it had a workforce of around 1,000.