Neoplan to move out of Plauen

MAN plans to move its bus production activities out of Neoplan’s site in Plauen, Germany, by the end of March 2015. The 420 employees affected by this are to be offered new positions with Volkswagen Sachsen in Zwickau. The board of MAN Truck & Bus AG and the Volkswagen Sachsen management team have, in principle, reached an agreement with the works councils of Volkswagen, MAN and Neoplan respectively. According to the manufacturer, it is no longer economically viable to maintain production in Plauen due to what it describes as the poor economic situation in important target markets and to the low demand for buses in the luxury sector. Starliner, Cityliner and Jetliner intercity buses and coaches are currently produced at the Neoplan site in Plauen. In future, this will be done at MAN’s Ankara plant, which already produces the Tourliner.

CEO of MAN Truck & Bus, Anders Nielsen, said, ‘We regret this situation. This has been a hard decision to make. At MAN, we are aware of Neoplan’s long tradition in Plauen, but, ultimately, we have been left with no alternative but to move production, in order to increase efficiency within our production network. We, together with employee representatives, have succeeded in finding our Neoplan co-workers a new home within the Volkswagen family. I would particularly like to thank Volkswagen Sachsen, as well as the works councils involved.’