The restructuring events database contains factsheets with data on large-scale restructuring events reported in the principal national media and company websites in each EU Member State. This database was created in 2002.
Région wallonne; Prov. Liège; Arr. Verviers — communes francophones
Location of affected unit(s)
Welkenraedt
Sector
Manufacturing (29 - 30) Manufacture for transport equipment 30.3 - Manufacture of air and spacecraft and related machinery 30.3 - Manufacture of air and spacecraft and related machinery
91 jobs Number of planned job losses
Announcement Date
8 January 2025
Employment effect (start)
8 January 2025
Foreseen end date
30 June 2025
Description
On 8 January 2025, Hexcel Corporation, a global leader in advanced lightweight composite materials, announced its intention to close its production facility in Welkenraedt, Belgium. The site, which employs 109 people, specialises in the manufacture of machined honeycomb parts for aerospace applications.
The decision follows previous rounds of redundancies in 2018 and 2020. According to the company, the Welkenraedt site has struggled to remain competitive due to intense market pressure, shifting customer preferences towards lower-cost solutions, and structural cost challenges. Although efforts were made to improve production efficiency and lower costs, Hexcel concluded that the site is no longer viable. Production will be transferred to other existing locations within the group.
A formal information and consultation process with social partners has been launched.
Updated, 08/05/2025:
In May a news report reported an updated number of dismissals, mentioning a total of 91.
Eurofound (2025), Hexcel, Closure in Belgium, factsheet number 203639, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/203639.
Digitisation and automation technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), can affect working conditions in a variety of ways and their use in the workplace raises a host of new ethical concerns.
The retail banking sector is fertile ground for studying the impacts of digitalisation on work and employment. Financial services are increasingly provided online, without the intermediary of customer-facing institutions.
European labour markets have recovered strongly from COVID-19. By the end of 2021, little more than 18 months after the start of the pandemic, employment rates in the EU were almost at pre-crisis levels.
