Overview
- The family-owned Herbert Dammann GmbH of Buxtehude has filed for insolvency and asked the Amtsgericht Tostedt for preliminary self-administration, meaning current management stays in charge under court oversight.
- A court-appointed preliminary overseer, Prof. Dr. Per‑Hendrik Heerma, is supervising management’s work and the company has named restructuring expert Dr. Jörg Grau to support the rescue effort.
- Company leaders say production, spare‑parts service and customer support continue for now and wages are covered by insolvency pay through July 2026.
- Management and overseers are conducting due diligence and actively seeking investors as part of restructuring measures, while about 140–150 employees face potential job losses if a rescue fails.
- Reports link the collapse to long-running weakness in agriculture and farm machinery demand, higher energy and production costs, and heavier administrative burdens, a combination that could strain suppliers and regional employment if similar firms follow suit.