Hamberger Sanitary: Restructuring of toilet seat production by the end of 2025
The Hamberger Group is adapting its structures to the changed market situation in the toilet seat sector. Production at the Rohrdorf site will therefore be discontinued at the end of 2025. Around 40 jobs will be affected by this measure. Employees have already been fully informed. With this restructuring, Hamberger Sanitary is ensuring the long-term stability and sustainability of the company.
Hamberger Industriewerke's Hamberger Sanitary division produces toilet seats not only for the European market, but also for the global market. Production currently takes place at the Bavarian site in Rohrdorf and at plants in Bulgaria, China and Egypt. This was in response to the internationalisation of sales years ago, with the company orienting itself towards the production sites of ceramic manufacturers, which enabled it to offer shorter delivery routes.
Nevertheless, the overall market for toilet seats is suffering from low construction and renovation activity in Germany and Europe. In addition, pressure on sales prices has increased, particularly from competitors in Asia, who have overcapacity due to the decline in construction activity in China. This negative trend is now also affecting German production in Rohrdorf. Although considerable investments have been made in automation in recent years, the competitiveness of toilet seat production at the Rohrdorf site could not be secured. "We are forced to close toilet seat production at our German site at the end of the year and relocate this part of production to our plant in Bulgaria,’ explains Michael Huck, Managing Director of Hamberger Industriewerke GmbH and the Sanitary Division. ‘We deeply regret this step, but in view of the very challenging market situation, we have to react."
In addition, part of the internal sales department will be relocated to Bulgaria, thereby integrating it more effectively into local processes.
Hamberger has agreed on a comprehensive social plan with the works council, which will give all affected employees in production and administration the opportunity to change to a transfer company from December onwards. In this context, employees will receive individual counselling, which also includes further training measures supported by Hamberger. In addition, Hamberger has given its assurance that the space freed up at the current production site in Rohrdorf will be used in future for the logistics of the Hamberger Group, which is currently located at another site.
