Sulzbach-Rosenberg (dpa/lby) – The traditional Rohrwerk Maxhütte in the Upper Palatinate was threatened with closure – now a solution has been found. The British company Mertex becomes the new owner, as announced by the Rohwerk. The contract was signed on Monday. Business operations will continue to the full extent and all jobs have been secured. The new owners bring a large volume of orders to the company and are planning further investments at the Sulzbach-Rosenberg site.
In December Rohrwerk Maxhütte initiated restructuring proceedings under self-administration. According to the company, Maxhütte supplies customers from the automotive, retail, energy and industrial sectors. The turnover is therefore around 100 million euros. The company employs around 460 people.
“We all fought together to preserve the pipe plant up to the last minute and ultimately won the battle,” said Jochen Sedlitz, chief representative of the renovation. The already complex refurbishment of the plant has become an “extreme challenge” due to the economic and political conditions of the past few months. He thanked the state government for supporting the process.
Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger spoke of an industrial policy success. The pipe mill now needs a long-term concept. Being competitive is a major challenge given the rise in energy prices. Aiwanger was convinced that steel production in Bavaria has prospects. “The pandemic and war have shown how quickly the lines in many plants come to a standstill when fragile global supply chains fail.”
