Overview
- Haus Cramer Group, which announced the plan Thursday, will shut Herford in the second half of 2026 and will close Paderborn by year-end if no buyer is found, affecting about 211 jobs.
- Production for the Herforder and Paderborner brands will shift to the Warstein plant, and the company says Bavarian sites will not be touched.
- The group says the change will concentrate all North Rhine-Westphalia brewing in Warstein and trim capacity in East Westphalia-Lippe by roughly one third.
- The NGG union accuses management of breaking a 2021 site-security deal that ran to 2028 after staff gave up raises, vacation pay, and parts of Christmas pay.
- Union and works councils will push for a social plan, while the company explores transfers to Warstein and plans upgrades in technology and logistics, including more use of the plant’s rail link.