Playmobil dismantles last German factory amid high production costs

The German toy manufacturer Playmobil is dismantling its final production facility in Dietenhofen, located in southern Germany. This decision follows the company's announcement in February to cease operations at the plant this month, prioritizing production in more cost-effective countries.

Michael Ulbrich, a Playmobil employee, is witnessing the emptying of the Dietenhofen site. "There is no longer any employee here in Dietenhofen, where production took place. Only I am here. I refuse to leave the company," Ulbrich told EFE. He noted that external companies are handling the cleanup and dismantling, and Playmobil's management sent most workers home earlier than expected.

Ulbrich recalled that the Dietenhofen plant once employed 1,500 people, a figure reduced to 364 before the final closure. He mentioned that two years prior, the company had already implemented staff cuts, but these were insufficient to sustain operations at what was Playmobil's last German production center. The company's headquarters, responsible for administration and development, remain in Zirndorf, near Nuremberg.

A spokesperson for the Horst Brandstätter Group, Playmobil's owner, defended the Dietenhofen closure as a consequence of "high current energy and labor costs, as well as excessive bureaucracy in our country." The spokesperson stated that maintaining production at the Dietenhofen plant is "no longer viable." Production will be consolidated in the Czech Republic and Malta, where Playmobil has been manufacturing for decades.

This situation highlights a broader challenge for German industry. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz acknowledged in June that Germany loses between 10,000 and 15,000 industrial jobs monthly, largely attributed to high energy prices. Economist Michael Grömling of the German Economic Institute (IW) also commented on the situation.

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En Dietenhofen, donde se llevaba a cabo la producción, ya no queda ningún empleado. Sólo estoy yo aquí. Me niego a abandonar la empresa