Damen Shipyards Group plans to cut approximately 225 positions from its 4,000-strong workforce in the Netherlands over the next 12 to 18 months as it restructures its Dutch organisation.
The proposed reduction will affect several group companies. Damen expects a significant proportion of the cuts to be achieved through natural attrition, but has not ruled out compulsory redundancies.
Damen says the changes are intended to simplify the organisation and improve efficiency amid competitive markets and geopolitical disruption affecting customers, suppliers and supply chains.
The company has invited trade unions to discuss a social plan for affected employees. Works councils have been informed and says relevant employee participation and consultation procedures would be followed.
Difficult message
“This is a difficult message, especially given how hard our colleagues have worked in recent years to build a stronger Damen,” said chief executive Arnout Damen.
“It is precisely from this stronger foundation that we also need to look ahead.”
He added: “We are not changing course. This is the next step in implementing our strategy: building a stronger and more efficient Damen that can continue to invest, compete and respond to the needs of our customers.”
The group says it had revised its market approach, improved risk management and strengthened collaboration in recent years.
It attributed better, more predictable results to those changes and said investment in employees and technology would continue, including IT, digitalisation and artificial intelligence.
“Knowledge, expertise and entrepreneurship will remain the foundation of Damen,” the chief executive concluded.
