Restructuring events
European Restructuring Monitor (ERM)
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.
The Norwegian aluminium producer Norsk Hydro plans to close its plant in Lüdenscheid (North Rhine-Westphalia) in 2026. According to IG Metall, 190 employees are affected. The closure is part of a global restructuring plan under which 730 jobs are to be cut in 2026 Norsk Hydro 2025 - WO. The restructuring mainly affects extrusion plants of the aluminium extrusion division, including the one in Lüdenscheid.
The company aims to increase its competitiveness through the restructuring.
The works council and the IG Metall union were surprised by the plans. As recently as 2025, the company invested millions in the plant. The works council and the union now intend to jointly develop a concept to preserve the Lüdenscheid site.
Worldwide, around 32,000 people work for Norsk Hydro, including 1,800 in Germany.
Eurofound (2025), Norsk Hydro, Closure in Germany, factsheet number 203983, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/203983.