Opel to Auction Equipment from Closing Bochum Factory
Opel will auction off hundreds of pieces of equipment from its Bochum plant ahead of the factory’s closure, including presses, robots and even a fire station.
Opel will sell off a large portion of its factory equipment from the Bochum plant in Germany, as the company prepares to close the site after more than half a century of car production. The auction, managed by Canadian firm Maynards, will begin 20 November 2014, just weeks before the final vehicle is scheduled to leave the line on 12 December.
The auction will see over 50 presses and 805 robots from the body shop go under the hammer. Some of the presses have been in use for more than 50 years, making them part of the plant’s long industrial history. In addition to production machinery, Opel is also selling off a range of facility assets, including a fully equipped fire station, cafeteria and health care ward. The assembly line itself will not be auctioned, as Opel plans to transfer it to other locations within its manufacturing network.
What’s included in the Bochum auction?
- 50 presses, some dating back decades
- 805 industrial robots from the body shop
- A complete fire station, including vehicles
- Cafeteria and health care ward facilities
The decision to sell the equipment comes as Opel, the European division of General Motors, moves to address overcapacity in its manufacturing operations. The Bochum plant, which opened in 1962, had become one of several sites under scrutiny as GM Europe sought to stem losses and restructure its footprint in the region. High labour costs and declining demand for the vehicles built there contributed to the decision to end production.
The closure marks the end of an era for Bochum and its workforce, which at its peak numbered several thousand. While some equipment will find new life in other Opel plants, the auction offers suppliers, smaller manufacturers and other industrial firms a chance to acquire assets from a major automotive site. The inclusion of non-production assets such as the fire station and cafeteria is unusual, underlining the scale of the wind-down.
Context: Opel’s restructuring in Germany
The Bochum closure is part of a wider effort by Opel and GM to return their European operations to profitability. The company had struggled with excess capacity, particularly in Germany, and had previously announced the plant’s closure after negotiations with unions and the German government. For more on the background to the plant’s fate, seeGM confirms 2016 closure of Opel Bochum plant, ending over 50 years of production.
