OUR OUTLOOK - Pressalit A/S

Despite a financial crisis that raged throughout 2009, Pressalit Group weathered
the storm and remains a well-consolidated company. However, production
capacity has been adapted in line with the decline in orders, and sadly the
company was forced to downsize its skilled, committed workforce. The recession
has also meant that all activities and costs have been carefully reassessed and
that factory management, shop stewards and staff have worked tirelessly to
tackle the crisis through measures aimed at limiting the effects of a decline in orders.
Initially, staff accepted advancing
their floating holidays so the factory
could close for a week in
May. Since then, it was agreed
that staff in salaried positions
and similar in several departments
were to work reduced hours for a fixed
period with time off without pay. And finally, at the
request of shop stewards, 95% of production
staff chose to apply for self-elected course activi-
CRISIS
ties through the Danish Industry Competency
Development Fund (IKUF) so that over the summer
Pressalit achieved the desired reduction in capacity
at virtually no cost to the company. Overall,
the combined measures meant that the company
was able to keep 8-10 jobs in the Ry production.
“Staff showed amazing flexibility, creativity and
willingness in tackling the crisis. It was important
that we quickly activated the extra manpower ca-
pacity we suddenly found ourselves
with in production and at
the same time reduced our
stocks to avoid tying up too
much capital in finished goods.
With their help we succeeded,”
explains President & CEO Kim
Boyter.