Business · Companies · 1 hr ago
117-year-old German machine maker Vollmer files for insolvency
Vollmer has filed for self-administered insolvency in Biberach, a city in southwestern Germany.
The family-run machine maker was founded in 1909 and makes machines used to process tools.
About 450 employees at its Biberach headquarters face uncertainty over their jobs, while Vollmer employs about 1,200 people worldwide.
The company has struggled amid economic turmoil, including the loss of business in Russia after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine; that market had accounted for about 10% of sales before the war.
A planned factory building project was halted in 2023 after its estimated cost rose from about €100 million to €150 million, and the company later announced job cuts at its headquarters.
The insolvency process is intended to give Vollmer a chance to restructure, and the appointed administrator says he will work to keep the business operating and protect jobs and expertise.
The 117-year-old machine maker Vollmer has filed for insolvency in Germany.
About 450 employees at its Biberach headquarters have been informed, but the company plans to continue operating.
Vollmer is seeking restructuring under self-administration, with lawyer Holger Leichtle supporting management.
The company has faced economic problems, including the loss of its Russia business, rising costs, supply problems and weak demand.
The future of jobs beyond the immediate restructuring plan remains unclear.
- Who
- Vollmer, a machine maker based in Biberach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
- What
- It filed for insolvency and plans to restructure under self-administration while continuing operations.
- When
- October 2026. Employees were informed at a meeting on Tuesday.
- Where
- Biberach, Germany; the company filed an application with the Ravensburg District Court.
- Why
- The company has faced economic difficulties, including the loss of its Russia business, higher costs, supply problems and weak demand.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Heinrich Vollmer founded the company as a sawmill workshop.
Vollmer's Russia business, which had accounted for about 10 percent of company revenue, was lost after Russia's attack on Ukraine.
Vollmer stopped plans to build a new factory in Biberach after projected costs rose from about 100 million to around 150 million euros.
Management announced plans to cut about 15 percent of jobs at the Biberach headquarters.
Vollmer filed for insolvency and informed about 450 employees at its headquarters.
- Founded
- 1909
- Headquarters
- Biberach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
- Employees at headquarters
- About 450
- Worldwide workforce
- About 1,200
- Russia business before the war
- About 10 percent of company revenue
- Planned factory project
- Costs rose from about 100 million to around 150 million euros
2 sources
What people are saying
We will do everything we can to continue operations.
I’m completely stunned.
a severe blow to Biberach as an industrial location