Office furniture maker Steelcase to end production at Wisches, France, with loss of more than 200 jobs as part of series of closures aiming to reduce redundant capacity, cut costs; production will be moved to other facilities in Europe

Audrey Dixon

LOS ANGELES , July 4, 2014 (Industry Intelligence Inc.) – Steelcase Inc. plans to cease production at its facility in Wisches, eastern France, facility, either by selling or shutting it down, with the loss of more than 200 jobs, Euwid reported on July 2.

Production will be distributed to existing facilities in Madrid, Spain and the Czech Republic. Steelcase expects annual savings of about US$10M after the closure, which will cost US$30 million-US$50million.

Wisches was the first Steelcase European plant, and has received a number of international certifications, including quality certification ISO 9001 and environmental certification ISO 14001. In 2009, it also got the OHSAS 18001 certification (Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series), according to information on the company’s website.

The Wisches decision marks Steelcase’s third divestment in the past nine months as the company aims to cut costs by reducing redundant capacity, Euwid noted. Michigan news source Mlive on June 26 gave the potential job losses at Wisches as between 200 and 250.

As previously reported, in May it emerged that Steelcase plans to close its plant in High Point, North Carolina, in stages within the next two years, with the loss of 230 jobs.

Last October, the company ended operations at its plant in Durlangen, Germany.

The primary source of this article is Euwid, Gernsbach, Germany, on July 2, 2014. Click here to view the primary source’s version of the article.

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