Germany-based Marquardt announces plans to pull production from Cazenovia facility, impacting about 180 jobs

CAZENOVIA, N.Y. — Marquardt Switches, Inc. plans to relocate production and nearly 180 jobs from its facility near Cazenovia to its plant in Irapuato, Mexico.

Some service, sales, and development functions will remain in Cazenovia, while equipment manufacturing will continue and remain completely in Cazenovia, the company said in a Friday announcement.

The German-based company, which manufactures electromechanical and electronic switches and switching systems, cited several factors behind the move including the challenging global economy and resulting persistently low order levels.

“Additionally, the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, along with geopolitical tensions, wars, and the rising costs for materials, energy, and personnel, have all played a role in recent years,” the statement read. “Despite significant efforts and investments to mitigate these challenges, we have not been able to achieve the necessary sales growth. With regard to the medium and long-term forecast, our business analysis has also shown that we will not be able to achieve sufficiently sustainable and attractive growth at the Cazenovia site in the coming years.”

The company anticipates completing all relocation activities by mid-2025, with approximately 180 jobs affected by the end of the move. All affected employees will receive advance notice.

Marquardt estimates about 60 jobs will remain at the Cazenovia site.

“We deeply regret the need for these measures at the Cazenovia site and are committed to supporting affected employees through these changes,” the company said. “However, these decisions were necessary and urgently required to ensure our continued competitiveness.”

Last month, Marquardt announced a partnership with Dronehub, a European manufacturer of advanced drone-docking stations, for the installation of docking-station technology at Marquardt’s 115,000-square-foot production facility near Cazenovia. The installation, completed in January, is intended to host customer visits and conduct technology demonstrations. Marquardt did not indicate if this partnership would be impacted by its production relocation.

Based in Rietheim-Weilheim, Germany, Marquardt employs approximately 11,000 people at 22 locations around the world. The company reported fiscal-year 2022 sales of around 1.4 billion euros, which equals about $1.5 million.