MAN starting to reopen manufacturing

MAN is starting to reopen its bus and truck production facilities.

In the wake of the coronavirus, MAN stopped production in mid-March to protect its employees, due to broken supply chains and the sharp drop in demand for commercial vehicles. After a six week closure, MAN Truck & Bus plants are planned to gradually resume production at reduced capacity starting 27 April. Extensive measures are to be implemented, including ensuring a wider distance between employees, changing the routing and, where necessary, protective equipment as well as training and instruction of employees.

Some employees in both production and administration will continue to work short-time initially, or will make use of existing flexible working time arrangements and work from home wherever possible. The return to the office will also be staggered in accordance with the safety concept.

MAN Truck & Bus will continue to fully maintain the service network for its MAN and Neoplan brands in order to keep emergency vehicles, supply chains and local public transport up and running. This applies both to MAN’s own service companies and to MAN Truck & Bus’s partner companies, as long as this is permitted by the authorities in the respective region.

Joachim Drees, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus SE, said: “In recent weeks, the crisis management team has been working intensively on the conditions under which our plants can be restarted. Among the key challenges here are the reliable supply of parts by our suppliers, as well as the organisation of our own work processes while protecting our colleagues, but also measures to stimulate demand for commercial vehicles. Our suppliers come from all EU countries – therefore we are asking politicians to support us with a coordinated approach at EU level to re-enter the market.”