German truck and car maker MAN has announced its plans to shut down its bus production plant at Plauen, Germany by the end of March 2015, shifting production to its Turkey-based Ankara plant, which was the first MAN site outside of Germany and has been in operation since 1986. The company said that the 420 employees affected by this decision are to be offered new positions with Volkswagen Sachsen in Zwickau, Germany.
According to MAN, the market volume for buses in Europe is at an all-time low. Owing to the poor economic situation in important target markets and to the low demand for buses in the luxury sector, it is no longer economically viable to maintain production in Plauen. The company decided to move its production activities out of Germany in order to increase efficiency within its production network.