Onet-le-Chateau. Bosch wants to find “sustainable production” for the site

On June 21, during discussions in Stuttgart, Germany, before staff representatives, management announced that the Fresh 2 project, which should direct the plant’s activities towards the production of a hydrogen-powered truck refrigeration system, has been suspended.

A decision that called into question the diversification projects carried out at the end of 2021 for the Onet-le-Château site. A related report “to market issues, and that the project was no longer a solution for you by allowing site diversification, excluding dieselsaid Roland Lescure, Minister for Industry, in a letter sent July 18 to Thomas Paeur, President Bosch powertrain solutions and Beate Grota, Vice President. It therefore became in the interest of the site to find and develop production on a new product with a future, with a stable market and customers. Faced with this situation, you were able to assure me that you would respect the agreement signed with the social partners.

Sustainable production

And the Minister Delegate continues: “ You confirmed to me that you would do your best to find one or more substitute products, within the Powertrain Solutions division or elsewhere, to ensure sustainable production and excluding diesel for half of the site’s workforce by the end of 2028 (that’s about 250 employees). Given the developments and investments that will be required […] you shared with me that your clear goal is to have found a replacement product by the end of 2023. ” A follow-up committee will be held in Bercy in September in the presence of Bosch personnel. Will there be answers about future factory productions? The future of the site depends on it.