Type
Offshoring/Delocalisation
Country
European Union
Region
Location of affected unit(s)
Kennelbach, Ceske Budejovice
Sector
Manufacturing
Manufacturing Of Furniture And Other Manufacturing
Other Manufacturing
32.3 - Manufacture of sports goods
New offshoring locations

250 jobs
Number of planned job losses
Job loss
Announcement Date
22 April 2005
Employment effect (start)
22 April 2005
Foreseen end date
1 June 2005

Description

On 22 April 2005, the management of the Austrian Head Sport company announced the almost complete relocation of the firm’s tennis racket production activities from Europe to China. This relocation will hit the production sites in Kennelbach (Austria) and Ceske Budejovice (Czech Republic). At the plant in Kennelbach, 111 blue- and 9 white-collar workers will be dismissed by June 2005, at the Czech plant it will be around 130 in total. Experts suppose both the high rate of exchange of the Euro and significant price increases of basic materials being the primary reasons for the planned relocations. Research and development, marketing and sales of the tennis division will remain at the headquarters in Kennelbach, just as is the case for the whole ski production which employs almost 400 workers. The Austrian trade unions have demanded to establish a comprehensive social plan for the workers concerned.


Sources

  • 22 April 2005: Der Standard

Citation

Eurofound (2005), Head Sport, Offshoring/Delocalisation in European Union, factsheet number 61492, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/61492.