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Hartha/Rheinmünster. The employees of MBW Metallveredelung Hartha GmbH & Co. KG are insecure. The wages for December have not yet been paid. Some employees are talking about a scandal. "The company has not paid its employees any wages since the end of the year. There has been no feedback from the company management to the employees so far. We only found out that a provisional application for insolvency had been filed by chance," say Hartha employees. This changed on January 3 and those affected were informed. According to press officer Matthias Braun from the law firm Schultze & Braun GmbH & Co. KG, 20 employees in Hartha are affected.
Upon request, he announced that insolvency applications had been filed for the operating and non-operating companies of the MBW Group. The Baden-Baden Local Court appointed lawyer Dr. Dirk Pehl from Schultze & Braun as provisional insolvency administrator.
MBW is a group of companies specializing in the surface finishing of metals with headquarters in Rheinmünster (Baden-Württemberg) and plants in Lichtenau (Baden-Württemberg), Einbeck (Lower Saxony), Mühlhausen and Sömmerda (both in Thuringia) and Hartha (Saxony). According to the administrator, the group has a total of 320 employees.
Business operations continue
Business operations will continue without restrictions, says Matthias Braun. Employees are covered by insolvency benefits up to and including February 2025. The aim of the insolvency applications is to secure the Group's liquidity, restructure it and enable it to make a fresh start. The provisional insolvency administrator is examining corresponding restructuring options.
"In the coming days, we will start a search for potential investors. Both financial investors and strategic investors, such as competitors or companies that would like to expand their product range with a takeover, will be considered. An investment could be worthwhile because the group of companies has strategically developed several future-oriented finishing processes and market segments," says the provisional insolvency administrator Dr. Dirk Pehl. He is currently gaining an overview of the Group's economic situation at its headquarters in Rheinmünster, Baden-Württemberg.
Orders will be produced and delivered as agreed. The entire MBW Group is maintaining business operations. Production was also evident at the Hartha site.
"Our customers can rest assured that their orders will be produced and delivered as agreed. There are no restrictions in production due to the insolvency applications," says Managing Director Vanessa Schmidt.
The approximately 320 employees at the various company locations were informed of the procedures in writing. Due to the Christmas break at the plants, employee meetings could not be reasonably organized.
Wages and salaries secured until February 2025
Wages and salaries are to be covered by the insolvency substitute benefits up to and including February 2025. "Preparations for the payment of the insolvency substitute benefits are in full swing. However, the payment may be delayed by a few days due to the public holidays. Our employees have also been informed of this," says Schmidt.
The main reason for the economic difficulties is the current economic development in the automotive industry, which is one of the main customers for products from the MBW Group. Due to planning uncertainties, several series launches were recently delayed or did not take place as planned.
In addition, there would be financial burdens from cost increases for materials, energy and personnel. As an energy-intensive company, the MBW Group is particularly affected by the high energy prices, as well as the requirements to achieve climate neutrality.
"Overall, we were only able to pass on some of these various cost increases to our customers or offset them with new business. The underutilization of capacity and the remaining burdens on our company now mean that our liquidity situation is very tight and we will no longer be able to meet our repayment obligations in the foreseeable future. We were therefore forced to file for insolvency in order to be able to reposition ourselves using the instruments of insolvency law and at the same time find partners to support us with fresh money through a targeted search for investors," says Managing Director Vanessa Schmidt.
The path that the MBW Group will then take will become clear at the end of February. "The aim is to secure the individual companies at the various locations and the jobs," emphasized press officer Matthias Braun.
About the MBW Group
Founded in 1987, the MBW Group claims to be one of the leading providers in the field of metal surface finishing and specializes in galvanic and chemical surface treatment.
The Group primarily covers coatings in the promising areas of anodizing and chrome III as well as various zinc processes. Accordingly, the Group has invested in systems and process technology in recent years.
The MBW Group's coating systems are used by renowned companies in the automotive, construction, fittings and electrical industries. The Group is headquartered in Rheinmünster. The group employs around 320 people at a total of six production sites.
In 1997, the MBW Group took over the electroplating operations of Spindelfabrik Hartha.
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