The Bosch plant in Braga resumes normal operations today after lifting the layoff initiated this month, which was originally scheduled to last until April 2026 due to a shortage of components, as announced by the company last week.
“With a more continuous supply of components and mitigation measures implemented, the employment contracts of affected employees will be fully active again,” the company stated in a note sent to Lusa news agency.
“Thus,” it adds, “the Bosch plant in Braga can produce without resorting to a layoff regime starting November 24, 2025 [Monday].”
However, “depending on the overall component shortage situation and the evolution of commercial policy,” Bosch says it cannot “exclude, in principle, future production interruptions or adjustments to working hours.”
Currently, “disruptions in production and temporary adjustments to working hours” continue at Bosch’s plants in Ansbach and Salzgitter, both located in Germany.
The issue involves insufficient electronic components from Nexperia, one of Bosch group’s electronic component suppliers.
The company is committed to “prioritizing all fronts” to “maintain its supply chains and avoid or minimize production constraints,” and it faces the future “with confidence,” despite the current situation presenting “significant challenges.”
“Today’s announced decision reflects the company’s firm commitment to protecting employment,” it emphasizes, noting that “site employees have been informed of the planned procedure.”
Highlighting its close monitoring of current commercial policy developments, Bosch notes “the first steps toward political dialogue among the parties involved” and maintains “hope for a lasting solution.”
On October 28, Bosch Braga announced it would enter a layoff from November, “presumably” until April 2026, affecting 2,500 workers.
Layoff involves the temporary reduction of normal work periods or suspension of employment contracts initiated by companies for a set period due to market, structural, or technological reasons, disasters, or other occurrences that have severely affected the company’s normal activity.
The Dutch government announced today it has suspended intervention in Nexperia, which allowed blocking decisions by the Chinese semiconductor company that threatened chip production in Europe, to reduce tensions with China after weeks of political conflict.
In a brief statement, Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs, Vincent Karremans, explained that given the progress between China and the Netherlands, now is “the right time to take a constructive step by suspending” the order issued under the Goods Availability Act, a 1952 regulation invoked for the first time last September.
The Dutch government intervened in the company at the end of September, considering that Nexperia’s Chinese director, Zhang Xuezheng, could jeopardize European supply.
The suspension does not cancel the intervention, as the Dutch government retains the option to reactivate the measure at any time if risks to European production are detected again. Meanwhile, a Dutch delegation remains in China negotiating a stable exit to the conflict.
Nexperia manufactures chips used in mobile phones, cars, and solar panels, among others, and is a key supplier to the European industry.
Its acquisition by Wingtech in 2019 had already raised concerns in the context of increasing scrutiny regarding technological dependence on China.
