As result of the current challenging market conditions within the agricultural sector, Lemken has made the decision to introduce cost-cutting measures across its business.

One of these measures, which we recently reported, was the closure of its new Dutch mechanical weeder production facility and instead move production to its headquarters in Alpen, Germany.

The latest measure has been the introduction of short-time work at its Alpen facility from July 1 to December 31 2026.

The Haren site (seeding technology competence centre) is exempt from this arrangement.

The current plan is to reduce working hours by one day per week. Planning is done monthly, allowing the company to react flexibly to changes in order volume.

The service and spare parts departments will continue to be fully accessible to customers.

1,200 staff

For now it is unknown how many jobs are affected. However, the Lemken HQ facility in Alpen employs around 1,200 staff and produces in the region of 15,000 ploughs, cultivators, disc harrows, power harrows annually.

“We continue to experience a very challenging market environment in which many external factors influence our customers’ investment decisions,” explained Klaus Kuhl, chief financial officer of Lemken. “Therefore, we are taking action now to stabilise our structures and secure our long-term ability to act.”

“We know that short-time work represents a noticeable change for our employees,” Kuhl continued. “At the same time, it is an important tool for reacting to the current situation early and responsibly. Our goal is to safeguard employment and guide Lemken safely through this market phase.”