DRÄXLMAIER to close Zrenjanin plant by March 2027

German automotive supplier DRÄXLMAIER has informed employees that its production plant in the industrial zone of Zrenjanin, Serbia, is scheduled to shut down by March 2027, with current projects to be stopped by the end of January 2027, the company said in a written announcement to staff. ([volimzrenjanin.com](https://volimzrenjanin.com/draxlmaier-pred-zatvaranjem-u-zrenjaninu/?utm_source=openai))

The notice was signed by Guido Meinelt, Operations representative for Eastern Europe, and Tobias Afsali, Vice President for Human Resources. The company said it had made “significant efforts to secure a sustainable future” for the Zrenjanin site but failed to win a new project for the plant. “Unfortunately, we were unable to secure a new project for the Zrenjanin plant. As a result, the current projects at the plant will be halted by the end of January 2027 and the plant will be closed by March 2027,” the statement said. ([volimzrenjanin.com](https://volimzrenjanin.com/draxlmaier-pred-zatvaranjem-u-zrenjaninu/?utm_source=openai))

DRÄXLMAIER said it will honour agreed obligations to staff and pay severance in line with its Program for technological redundancy and the company Collective Agreement. Management also warned that the planned gradual reduction of production through January will affect about 85 percent of employees. ([danas.rs](https://www.danas.rs/vesti/ekonomija/drekslmajer-zatvara-fabriku-u-zrenjaninu/?utm_source=openai))

The Zrenjanin operation began in 2008. At the plant's launch the company employed some 350 people; over the years the workforce grew significantly and at one point was reported at about 6,000 across operations, while the Zrenjanin site currently has roughly 1,100 employees. Local reporting says roughly 1,000 workers could be affected by the planned wind-down. ([rtv.rs](https://rtv.rs/sr_lat/ekonomija/otvoren-drekslmajer-pogon-u-zrenjaninu_60630.html?utm_source=openai))

Regional footprint

DRÄXLMAIER also operates manufacturing in North Macedonia. The group’s main production site in the country is near Kavadarci and began operating in the 2010s; a second plant in the Kumanovo region opened in 2021. The company has been a major regional employer and investor. ([draexlmaier.com](https://www.draexlmaier.com/mk/draexlmaier-vo-makedoni%D1%98a?utm_source=openai))

The company and local authorities will face the task of managing the planned closures and the social programme for workers as the timetable advances toward January and March 2027. Unions and municipal actors are expected to follow developments in the coming weeks.

Photo: press material from the event