Japanese manufacturer Hi-Lex closes its plant in Granollers and lays off 67 employees

BarcelonaAnother closure in Catalan industry. The UGT union denounced on Friday that the Japanese company Hi-Lex has announced the closure of its plant in Granollers and filed for a collective dismissal procedure (ERE) to lay off its 67 workers. In response, the workforce has begun an indefinite strike to show its "outright rejection" of the multinational's decision. According to the union, the closure of the factory in the Vallès region is not due to objective reasons, but rather is a "disguised relocation." "During the consultation period, the works council and the union organizations have confirmed that management has acted in bad faith, maintained an inflexible position, and demonstrated that the decision had already been made long before its official announcement," UGT criticized.

According to the workers' representatives, Hi-Lex had been diverting projects from the Granollers factory to other group plants for some time, "a move that demonstrates a clear intention to gradually dismantle operations at the facility." In this regard, the workforce says they feel "deceived," especially since less than a year ago, the group's management in Japan had guaranteed the plant's continued operation, despite the difficulties it was facing.

Last June, the workers at the Hi-Lex subsidiary in Granollers already expressed their concern about the factory's uncertain future. The plant's main client was the automaker Ford, for whom the window regulators—the mechanism that raises and lowers the window—were produced for the Kuga model, which is manufactured at the Almussafes plant (Valencia). It is worth remembering that the European automotive industry is going through turbulent years with the electrification of the sector and the emergence of new Chinese competitors.

This project with Ford accounted for 90% of its annual revenue, while a smaller portion came from a project with the British chemical company Ineos. There was also a future project with the car manufacturer Volvo, which was expected to reach the industrialization phase in 2027.

"Covert offshoring"

In 2022, Hi-Lex management already filed for a workforce reduction plan (ERE) affecting 33 workers at the Granollers plant, a third of the workforce at the time. Simultaneously, some key projects with Volkswagen were relocated to Serbia, and others with Iveco to Italy, without prior notice. Furthermore, the recent departure of the plant director, the CEO, and the finance director has reinforced the feeling of abandonment among employees.