11/03/2016

Reorganization Heerema Fabrication Group

Due to poor market conditions in the oil and gas industry, increasing competition, the combination of price pressure and unfavourable contractual conditions in the wind energy market, and the somber prospects for the near future, Heerema Fabrication Group (HFG) has made the decision to implement a reorganization of the company.

The intended reorganization will focus on adapting the company to the strongly decreasing volume of work, and on increasing the efficiency and competitive power of HFG. This will leave the company better prepared for the future. As a result of the restructuring, an anticipated 450 of the existing 770 jobs in the company will be phased out. Compulsory redundancies will unfortunately be unavoidable. The job losses will affect the head office in Zwijndrecht (Netherlands), next to the HFG yards in the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Poland.

The management has already informed the employees of the situation and requested advice from the works council of HFG Netherlands. HFG is absolutely committed to supporting all employees who are made redundant as best as it can, and has entered into discussions with the trade unions about a severance scheme. “We fully realize just how devastating the planned reorganization will be for many of our colleagues who have made such an important contribution to our company”, says HFG CEO Koos-Jan van Brouwershaven. “We will do our utmost to support them throughout this difficult period. At the same time we are convinced that these steps are absolutely essential for the stability of HFG and to guarantee its continuity.”

The plans will enable HFG to continue operations at all its locations in Vlissingen, Zwijndrecht, Hartlepool (UK) and Opole (Poland). Each of these yards has its own specialism in the design and fabrication of complex steel constructions for the worldwide offshore oil and gas market and the wind energy market. The reorganization will not affect the Heerema Innovation Center. HFG’s strategy remains fully focussed on innovation and the delivery of maximum added value to the client. “The expectation is that, due to growing energy requirements in the long term, the number of projects in the market will increase again in the future. Until that time we will do everything in our power to maintain as much employment as possible”, says Koos-Jan van Brouwershaven.