Fujitsu is to close its last remaining production facility in Europe as the PC maker moves its product business to Japan.
The company plans to shutter its product development, manufacturing, and logistics centre in Augsburg, in southern Germany, by September 2020 “at the latest”.
The move will directly affect 1,500 employees, in addition to another 300 situated elsewhere in Germany. Fujitsu, which employs around 5,500 staff across the country, claims it is looking for “socially acceptable” solutions for all employees affected by the change. This means it has ruled out dispatching the staff with a samurai sword in the office carpark.
The move will mean Fujitsu will no longer manufacture its products in Europe and will instead move its product business to Japan.
Fujitsu said the closure is part of a wider shift in the company from a “pure product business” to a service-oriented one but stressed that it is still committed to selling product in Europe.
The company said its sales, services and support functions on the continent will continue as normal.
Central Europe head of Fujitsu’s EMEIA products and enterprise platform services, Rupert Lehner, said Fujitsu plans to bulk up its services capabilities in the wake of the facility’s closure.
“We plan to expand our service capabilities in central Europe to include key sectors such as the public sector, SMEs, [and] the automotive and manufacturing industries. To support the digital transformation of our customers with industry-specific products, solutions and services, Fujitsu is further expanding its position as a system integrator. Our extensive portfolio ranges from consulting and conception to the implementation and operation of entire IT ecosystems,” he said.
