Stand at Saarbrücken's ZF location: Mayor Conradt advocates for education and bolsters support for staff
In the heart of Germany, a significant development is unfolding in the city of Saarbrücken, known for its automotive industry. The city's Mayor, Uwe Conradt, has taken the lead in an initiative to secure the future of the automotive location in the face of a planned production shift.
On July 22nd, Conradt addressed a letter to Dr. Holger Klein, CEO of ZF Friedrichshafen AG, the company behind the Saarbrücken plant, regarding the planned relocation of production lines from Saarbrücken to Eger, Hungary. This move, first reported around July 2025, involves transmission production activities moving to Hungary, signaling a shift in operational focus to Eger.
Conradt is demanding clear statements from ZF Friedrichshafen AG's board about the future of the Saarbrücken site and the situation of the workforce. He emphasized the agreement made in the joint declaration of the mayors' initiative 'For a strong automotive location' for close coordination between management, municipalities, and employees.
The mayors' initiative stands together and seeks solidarity with the employees of the automotive location Saarbrücken. They believe in the importance of respecting the life's work of the employees and view the future of the automotive location as a matter of regional justice, economic reason, and respect for the life's work of the employees.
In addition to his local efforts, Conradt announced his intention to be active on a national and European political level regarding the future of the automotive location Saarbrücken. He is collaborating with his colleagues in the mayors' initiative to address this economic concern.
However, beyond the relocation announcement, details regarding the immediate plans for the Saarbrücken site after relocation (e.g., repurposing or closure) and the workforce situation—whether employees will be transferred, laid off, or rehired elsewhere—remain unavailable or unpublished as of now.
Conradt has assured the works council of the Saarbrücken plant of the full support of the state capital during this transition period. The search results provide context about industrial and technology investments but offer no further details on the Saarbrücken workforce or site future.
As the situation evolves, it is crucial to monitor company or local government announcements for updates on the site utilization and workforce impact in Saarbrücken.
- The Mayor of Saarbrücken, Uwe Conradt, has written to the CEO of ZF Friedrichshafen AG about the planned move of production from Saarbrücken to Eger, Hungary, expressing concerns about the future of the city's automotive industry and its workforce.
- Conradt emphasized the importance of the agreement made in the mayors' initiative 'For a strong automotive location,' which calls for close coordination between management, municipalities, and employees, and demanded clear statements about the future of the Saarbrücken site.
- Beyond the relocation announcement, details about the immediate plans for the Saarbrücken site and the workforce situation are not currently available, making it necessary to monitor company or local government announcements for updates.
- Conradt is not only focusing on local efforts but also intends to be active on a national and European political level to address the future of the automotive location in Saarbrücken, which is seen as a matter of regional justice, economic reason, and respect for the life's work of the employees, and is also intertwined with policy-and-legislation, politics, general-news, aerospace, finance, transportation, and other industries.
