FRANKFURT (Reuters) -Siemens Energy’s wind turbine division Siemens Gamesa is planning to cut 4,100 jobs, or around 15% of its workforce, the unit’s Chief Executive Jochen Eickholt said in an internal letter to staff seen by Reuters on Tuesday.
“Our current situation demands adjustments that go beyond organizational changes. We have to adapt to lower business volumes, reduced activity in non-core markets, and a streamlined portfolio,” Eickholt said in the letter.
A spokesperson for Siemens Energy said the company would announce the number of jobs affected once consultations with all stakeholders are completed, declining to comment further.
The job cuts plan, which was first reported by Spanish newspaper El Correo, comes shortly after Siemens Energy fleshed out major restructuring moves at Siemens Gamesa, also flagging that this would include staff reductions.
Eickholt said the goal was to keep Siemens Gamesa’s total workforce stable, via shifting jobs to and hiring more employees in other part of the division, confirming comments made by Siemens Energy CEO Christian Bruch earlier this month.
“The leadership team and I are aware that today’s announcement is difficult, especially considering the challenges you’ve been facing over this past year,” Eickholt, who will step down at the end of July, said in the letter.
“But I want to underscore that our wind business, including Onshore, has a future.”
(Reporting by Christoph Steitz; Editing by David Holmes)