The Reifenhäuser group (Troisdorf / Germany; www.reifenhauser.com) is cutting 78 jobs, 60 at its headquarters in Troisdorf and 18 at Reifenhäuser Kiefel Extrusion (Worms / Germany; www.reifenhauser-kiefel.com). Managing director Ulrich Reifenhäuser told Plasteurope.com that the cuts are a structural measure to leverage synergies following the acquisition of Kiefel Extrusion in August 2009 – see Plasteurope.com of 28.08.2009 – as well as several relocations in conjunction with subsidiary Reiloy. The positions made redundant are all in sales and administration. Reifenhäuser reported that by introducing short-time working it had made the necessary crisis-related adjustments in production capacity.

Following the cuts, the group will have around 740 employees in Troisdorf and roughly 330 at Kiefel, including nearly 200 in Worms. Reifenhäuser also has 80 employees at foreign sales offices. The company confirmed that sales in the 2008/2009 financial year (30 June) stood at EUR 315m, down from EUR 420m the year before. The family-run business expects sales to be around the same level this year. Overall, business is picking up nicely at present, the group says, both in terms of the number and the “vitality” of enquiries, as well as in specific orders. Confidence in an upswing is firming, it said.