In a significant shift for the automotive industry in the Czech Republic, Adient, a major car seat cover manufacturer, has drastically reduced its operations in Česká Lípa. The company, which once ran three shifts around the clock, has now scaled back to a single shift, resulting in hundreds of job losses.
The layoffs have been substantial, with “lower hundreds” of employees losing their jobs over the past year and a half, according to company spokesperson Aneta Šeráková. The local labour office reports that 124 former Adient employees have registered as job seekers this year alone, with 84 of them being women who worked as seamstresses.
This downsizing is attributed to global changes in the automotive industry. Adient cites challenges such as the transition to electric mobility, supply chain disruptions, economic downturns, and reduced consumer demand as reasons for the cutbacks. The company’s Trim division, responsible for producing car seat covers, faces overcapacity issues, leading to job cuts in Česká Lípa.
The impact of these layoffs extends beyond just numbers. One former employee, who had worked at Adient for 13 years, shared her experience of being let go due to redundancy. She noted the significant reduction in production, with only a few car models’ seat covers still being manufactured at the plant.
The labour office has been proactive in assisting the affected employees. They have conducted information sessions at the company and provide guidance on job seeking, requalification opportunities, and other services for new employment.
This situation in Česká Lípa is reminiscent of a previous mass layoff in the region. In 2010, Delphi Packard, a manufacturer of automotive cable harnesses, completely ceased operations in the area, resulting in 1,400 job losses. Many of those workers found new employment at what is now Adient, then under Johnson Controls.