German automotive supplier Schaeffler has announced plans to cut 3,460 jobs across Europe and close five sites, pushing the crisis in Germany's car industry deep into the supplier base. The programme, unveiled this week, is one of the clearest signals yet that weak demand and structural change are forcing major Tier 1 suppliers to redraw their European footprints.
Slovakia sits squarely in the path of the restructuring. Schaeffler plans to adjust production and development capacity at its sites in Skalica and Kysuce, with hundreds of jobs in the country on the line, The Slovak Spectator reported. The cuts land as Slovakia's car industry struggles more broadly, adding pressure on a sector already under strain.
The Slovak facilities are not alone in the plan. Outside Germany, Schaeffler will also adjust capacity at Haguenau and Toulouse in France, meaning the job cuts and site closures will stretch across Germany, France and Slovakia. The scale of the programme underlines how the downturn that began in Germany's car plants is now reshaping supplier networks across the continent.
