MAN Truck and Bus is to restart its bus and truck plants at reduced capacity from next week, six weeks after halting production in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The manufacturer stopped production in mid-March to protect its employees and in response to broken supply chains and a sharp drop in demand for commercial vehicles.
The plants will open from 27 April with a safety plan to protect employees which will ensure distancing between employees, changes in the routing, protective equipment, where necessary, and the provision of additional training.
Joachim Drees, chief executive of MAN Truck & Bus SE, said: “In recent weeks, the crisis management team has been working intensively on the conditions under which our plants can be restarted.
“Among the key challenges here is the reliable supply of parts by our suppliers, as well as the organisation of our own work processes while protecting our colleagues, but also measures to stimulate demand for commercial vehicles.
“Our suppliers come from all EU countries - therefore we are asking politicians to support us with a coordinated approach at EU level to re-enter the market.”
Some production and administration employees will continue to work short-time initially, or work from home wherever possible. The return to the office will also be staggered.
MAN Truck & Bus is continuing to maintain a full service network for its MAN and NEOPLAN brands in order to keep emergency vehicles, supply chains and local public transport up and running, including MAN Truck & Bus partner companies, where local authorities permit.
