Germany in decline - Opel factory in Bochum closed

[Junkman]

 

After 52 years of vehicle production at Opel in Bochum, the last car has rolled off the assembly line yesterday.

 

The concern is closing the factory due to over capacity.

The last Opel from Bochum - a Zafira people carrier - will not be sold. It will be handed over to a charity, which is going to be chosen today.

 

3,000 employees now face an uncertain future. Most of them join a 'transfer company' for a maximum of two years.

 

The only thing remaining on the vast grounds is a spare parts depot with 700 employees.

The State of North Rhine - Westphalia wants to convert the rest into an industrial estate for small to medium businesses.

It founded the development company "Bochum Perspektive 2022" and 50 Million Euros will be invested over the next eight years.

 

German Rock legend Herbert Grönemeyer, who grew up in Bochum, will stage a benefit show, which ex-Opel-workers can access free of charge.

 

Bochum already has an unusually high unemployment rate of 9.4%. This will now be further bumped up, since about half of the Opel workers live there.

The town already suffered severely, when Nokia pulled out in 2008.

 

This is considered the end of a showcase project, that was started, when the coal industry went into decline in the 1960s.

The Opel factory was built on the grounds of a closed coal pit. After the opening in 1962, it employed 10,000 people, many of which ex coalminers.

 

For the employees who are fired now, there are gratuity packages in addition to the transfer company.

The cost of closing the factory is estimated between 550 and 700 Million Euros.

 

[Bren]

At least it will be businesses going on the site - in the uk it would be houses.

 

With car production in Australia ending as well, the future looks pretty bleak.

[Junkman]

There won't be businesses going on the site.

It will be just another empty industrial estate, which Germany is awash with.

 

Even the future was better back in 1986...

[Shep Shepherd]

Something very similar is happening with the Ford works in Genk, Belgium (itself a former mining town), which closes at the end of the year. Over-capacity seems to be endemic in the car manufacturing industry.

 

Nice to hear that Herbert 'Currywurst' Grönemeyer is taking an interest in the plight of his fellow townspeople, though.

[Junkman]

I think it's pretty obvious that too many cars are being built, and in too many varieties.

 

But what is the real reason behind the factory closures?

Has car production become so efficient, that the same amount of cars can be produced in fewer factories?

 

When I revisited the BMW factory, which I had left in the mid Eighties, in the early Noughties, I was shocked how void of people the place was.

Where 30 years ago thousands of people were hammering away, there were a handful of people overseeing robots do their stuff.

The thousands of bicycle stands they had outside were eerily empty, too.

 

I also gather from the article, that the Bochum Opel factory was once a place for 10k people, now they had to fire only* 3,000.

 

I agree, fair play to Herr Grönemeyer.

[saucedoctor]

I guess it's automation. Similarly, 60-odd people are all it takes to operate a 600MW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine power station. Back in the 80's, the old coal and oil station, in the same place, employed around 1000.

[derskine]

Maybe it's because everyone is now flocking to buy shite 80s and 90s cars*

[Junkman]

I pretty much doubt that Eisenach is cheaper, but it certainly is more modern and offers an up to date work environment.

So might the factories in Spain and Poland, although I think the one in Spain is pretty dated as well.

 

Overcapacity is certainly an issue in Opel's case. But instead of going back to the drawing board and design cars

that actually sell, modern© management rather destroys thousands of lives and flogs company assets.

[John F]

Mir wurscht... alle Neuwagen sind scheiße.

[Bren]

Mir wurscht... alle Neuwagen sind scheiße.

Agreed.

[brickwall]

There won't be businesses going on the site.

It will be just another empty industrial estate, which Germany is awash with.

 

Even the future was better back in 1986...

 

 

Aye, when I was over there, I was saying to the Jeerman guy I was working with how amazing and modern all these industrial estates were that we were passing. He said they would be amazing if there were actually any businesses in them. The thinking was, "Build them and they will come!"

 

No they won't

 

Many were built to keep construction sector going anyway, but there simply wasn't the demand to fill them with going concerns.

[spike60]

It's a sad day, especially for those whose lives are directly affected. As an ex serial Opel owner, -2 Ascona B, Manta B, Monza GSE, I thought they were built in Russelheim? Different Opel plant?

[John F]

Yep, different plant.

 

Within Germany, Opel has plants in Bochum, Eisenach, Rüsselsheim and Kaiserslautern.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

It's a sad day, especially for those whose lives are directly affected. As an ex serial Opel owner, -2 Ascona B, Manta B, Monza GSE, I thought they were built in Russelheim? Different Opel plant?

Russelsheim builds the Insignia that sells well in Germany as well as the US Buick Regal version.

Meanwhile, VW still doesn 't have enough capacity and it could use Bochum and its workforce to build more Golfs.

Opel's name in Germany was severely damaged by the 1996 Vectra - the previous cavalier vectra was well loved and it's successor was rightly seen as a heap of shit.

As in the UK, Opel are being hammered by the cheaper BMW, Audi and Merc stuff.

 

My now departed Zafira was built in Bochum snd it was an exceptionally well made car with no rust or rattles after ten years and 100k.

 

Gruenemeyer is better remrmbered as the naval corresepondent in Das Boot.

[purplebargeken]

My Great Aunt and Uncle lived in Bochum. My dad was a trouble shooter for Ford and went to Ghent on many occasions. Shit! It's all down to my family. Sorry folks.

[Uncle Jimmy]

If the Germans start production of pocket battleships and we start turning out Hillman Hunters all will be well again.

[MarvinsMom]

one the one hand i feel for the folks that have lost their jobs, but on the other hand bad news from Hun land sounds like good news to me. Bloody germans...

[warren t claim]

Maybe if all GM cars weren't shit then enough people would buy them to warrant keeping the plant open.

[makum101]

Maybe if all GM cars weren't shit then enough people would buy them to warrant keeping the plant open.

This ^

 

My Insignia was biult at Opel. It was so shit I handed it back to the HP company and bought a Kia.

[Lukas]

 

 

My Insignia was biult at Opel.

 

Maybe because it is an Opel.    Do they built them in the UK too or do they only re-badge it there?

[Des]

Within Germany, Opel has plants in Bochum, Eisenach, Rüsselsheim and Kaiserslautern.

So crafty Jerry has learned to not build their concern as one big easy target. Worrying.

They've pulled a plant due to overproduction, so surely all of them should close, producing any more than one example per decade of those cock-awfully shitty Vauxhally turds is overproduction.

[londonm]

I blame Derek Robinson.

[Felly Magic]

GM have ditched the Chevrolet Europe badge for one reason, so that old DAEWOO/Chevrolet plants can inflict us with even more dreadful toss bearing Opel/Vauxhall badges, being made by people on much lower wages than in Germany

[Guest Lord Sward]

Not looking forward to the Viva then?

[Hendry]

Vauxhall/Opel/GM have really fucked up big time, their cars now are obviously better than previous versions, but they are so far behind the competition and so poorly equipped, poor driving condition and seats in all models which could cause severe/chronic back pain.

 

It says it all that Vauxhall were doing better in the UK in the 80s when Opel's were still sold here and were in direct competition with Vauxhall.

 

Its weird really because I don't think Vauxhalls cars are bad looking cars, other than the Corsa D, they aren't as bland as VWs, more stylish than Fords, they have reasonably quality well made feeling interiors and don't drive too bad but yet driving them you can't help thinking whilst you are in one either as a driver or passenger (as I quite often do working for a hire firm with a domestic vehicle range consisting mainly of Vauxhalls) that they are heaps of shit, I really wonder what real dire straits they would be in if it weren't for their sales to fleet/daily rental markets, their poor quality control has really damaged them, our cars are consistently in the dealers for warranty work, again mostly the Insignia rather than Corsa/Astra, the only vehicle on our fleet more troublesome than the Vauxhalls are our Fiat Ducatos, says it all really, also the amount of recalls on Vauxhalls are appalling we seldom get them for anything else, Vauxhall are every couple of months. Then there's the constant cost cutting, new model Insignias are missing half the nice touches of the original models like 3rd rear head rest, centre rear armrest, front passengers seat extendable leg cushion, adjustablr passenger front head rest and electric rear windows on the same SRi trim and things like the chrome exhaust tail pipe being removed on SXi Corsas, and their special editions which have standard stuff that's not even an option on the top of the range model but otherwise basic, whereas Ford seldom do special editions now. E.g. Corsa Limited Edition which is basically an SXi with bumper extensions, spoilers, 17" alloys, sports pedals, but missing the map lights, side and curtain airbags and perforated leather steering wheel, and the Astra Tech Line with USB, sat nav, Bluetooth, that doesn't come as standard on the Elite model but still has cloth interior, plastic steering wheel keep fit rear windows and no auto lights/wipers. There's no consistency with each trim bring gradually higher than the previous.

 

Its like you drove a mk3 Astra and thought that a 306 was better looking, a Megane was better equipped, a Golf was better quality interior but you still thought "this is a decent car" now an Astra is one of the better looking cars in its class, its as well made inside as anything else but you still get a feeling its a shit car.

[makum101]

Maybe because it is an Opel.    Do they built them in the UK too or do they only re-badge it there?

It is an Opel. They re-badge them as Vauxhall for the UK and Buick Regal for the US.

[New POD]

If anyone is sad enough to have read "The Machine that Changed the World" http://www.lean.org/Bookstore/ProductDetails.cfm?SelectedProductID=160

 

they will see that these clever people predicted, many of the changes we have seen over the last 20 years.

 

The "problem" that GM plants have is the way that GM organises them.  The plants have to bid against other plants for manufacturing, and the HQ effectively treats them as a supplier.  So if Ellesmere Port is bidding against 3 other plants for V6 engines, and one is cheaper, then Canada will get the contract for world supply of V6 engines. That happened in 2004 IIRC.

[Guest Breadvan72]

Good news, Junkman.  Merkel sent a crack team to the Bolivian jungle to track down the aged Fuehrer at his secret hideout, and after some haggling he has agreed to come back and take over again.  But he says "This time, no more Mr Nice Guy". 

[Junkman]

Oh no, not yet another Folkswagon.

[Pillock]

the constant cost cutting

...

Astra Tech Line with USB, sat nav, Bluetooth, that doesn't come as standard on the Elite model but still has cloth interior, plastic steering wheel keep fit rear windows and no auto lights/wipers. There's no consistency with each trim bring gradually higher than the previous.

 

 

Aye, that's the model I got given and it's sat outside. This is the replacement for the Exclusiv model which was aimed at fleet buyers, so the Tech Line appears a lot in fleet mags, and with the BIK payments splashed all over it etc. So this is a model designed to do 30k a year for three years before being punted off through Manheim, my colleague has just touched 90k in his Exclusiv a few months before his three year maximum lease was up.

 

30k a year - that's a lot, I bet it's a lovely place to be right? Nope. Keep fit rear windows - I genuinely boggled that a £20,000 car would have windy windows. Seats are proper rock hard, and I'm used to VAG. I'm getting regular back pain from 250 miles a day or so. No arm rest. Sat nav is OK but they'll certainly make their money on updates when it gets delivered out of date and needs a Vauxhall USB stick at £150 (estimated) each time. No nice touches that were on our 61 plate Exclusivs either, no ambient lighting or front fog lamps or rear power socket. Bluetooth doesn't do music, just phone calls. 

 

I know I'm being petty about arm rests and ambient lighting but this is my office for the next three years, it's cost tens of thousands of pounds, and they've systematically thought "naaah, fuck it" to everything they could ditch. My 2009 Focus, same RRP, was much better equipped in terms of nice stuff and being pleasant to be in. Most of the trim is straight out of the base model.