Vredestein tire factory in Enschede is closing, 500 people will lose their jobs.

Tire Factory Apollo Tyres Vredestein in Enschede to Close in Just Over a Year – 500 People to Lose Their Jobs

The Apollo Tyres Vredestein tire factory in Enschede will shut its doors in just over a year. The owner, Apollo Tyres from India, no longer sees a future for the more than century-old company. The management announced the closure this afternoon to the approximately 500 employees.

Trade union FNV calls it a dark day. “Utterly heartbreaking, especially for workers who have often been there for generations,” says FNV representative Monique Daamen. Apollo is giving up on the factory in Enschede due to high energy costs and rising inflation in the Netherlands. FNV blames this on failing industrial policy in the country.

CNV union representative Nicole Engmann says the Vredestein staff have “done everything in their power over the past years to avoid this disaster scenario.” “Unfortunately, it turns out that it wasn’t enough.”

According to CNV, the closure of the tire factory in Enschede is “yet another example of industrial decline in the Netherlands”: “Once again, high energy costs and inflation have played a role in the decision to move production abroad. And once again, a large number of jobs are disappearing from our country. We believe the government must play a role in leveling the playing field for Dutch industry.”

Staff Meeting

Yesterday, employees received a message asking them to attend a meeting this afternoon. Many feared the worst, especially after learning that Apollo Tyres’ CEO Benoit Rivallant would be present. The unions were not allowed to attend the meeting, during which it was announced that the factory will close next summer. However, union leaders were informed beforehand in a digital meeting.

The closure does not come entirely out of the blue. Five years ago, 750 jobs were already cut in a mass layoff. The company’s latest financial report showed that Apollo had already transferred its sales operations and other valuable assets from Apollo Tyres Vredestein to its European division in Hungary, which opened in 2017.

Vredestein was founded in 1908 and produced its first bicycle tire in 1910, followed by car tires in 1912. In 1952, the company opened its factory in Enschede. In 2009, the Dutch company was acquired by the Indian tire giant Apollo Tyres. After setting up the Hungarian division in 2017, Apollo began scaling down the Enschede factory from 2020 onwards.