Manz resumes business operations at its German locations

As a result of the Covid19 developments in Europe and the protective measures prescribed and recommended by the German federal government and the European Commission, the Management Board had decided to suspend operations in Germany and Italy for around three weeks, now the company is returning to the German sites. "Over the past few weeks we have talked to numerous business partners about the current situation, which is currently affecting everybody each day. The feedback we have received has strengthened our conviction that the decision to shut down operations in an orderly and structured manner was the right one and was also taken at the right time: on the one hand, of course, to protect all employees and their families, and on the other hand also for economic reasons. Due to the restrictions imposed on us and our business partners, efficient work processes were simply not possible. Therefore, nothing would have damaged our reputation as a reliable partner more than an uncoordinated and inefficient maintenance of the status quo at that time,“ says Martin Drasch, CEO of Manz AG, in a press release. Operations in Reutlingen and Tübingen will be resumed, taking into account that measures such as distance regulations or travel restrictions will remain in place after Easter. For example, office staffing will be divided between two shifts and home office. In addition, in close consultation with employee representatives short-time working has been requested at the two German locations for that part of the workforce for which a return to full working capacity is currently not fully possible due to travel restrictions. The average reduction in work per employee at the two locations amounts to around 25%, so that the company has around 75% of the personnel capacity at both locations at its disposal to fully process current orders. The R&D site in Italy will continue to work from the home office until further notice due to nationwide exit restrictions. In addition, the management and supervisory boards of the company, as well as the first management level, at the locations is waiving parts of their salaries in order to save more jobs.