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Maxhütte Pipeworks Closes After Failed Sale Talks, 300 Jobs at Risk

The sale unraveled over split ownership of the site and equipment, prompting negotiations on a social plan before layoffs.

Overview

  • Insolvency administrator Jochen Zaremba confirmed the Sulzbach-Rosenberg pipe plant was shut on Monday and employees were released from duty.
  • Roughly 300 workers are affected, with dismissals to follow once a social plan is agreed with the works council.
  • Months of investor talks collapsed because the insolvent operator did not own the property or machinery and price expectations could not be reconciled.
  • The pipe mill, which produced seamless pipes for automotive, industrial and energy customers, has faced repeated insolvencies in 2022 and 2024, and a 2024 investor later went insolvent.
  • The site is the last remnant of the Maxhütte complex, whose steelworks closed in 2002 after prior state rescue attempts totaling about €250 million; no new public bailout is reported.