Plans have been confirmed

Pharmaceutical giant sells plant: 190 lose their jobs

The plant in Orth an der Donau is a major employer in the Marchfeld region. The rumor of a sale has now been confirmed.(Bild: Takeda)

There was great anxiety after a rumor made the rounds in Orth an der Donau (Lower Austria): the largest employer in the region, the plant of the Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda, was to be closed. The "Krone" did some research and now has official confirmation: The majority of the site will be sold, affecting 190 employees.

It was only in September that Orth an der Donau celebrated its 40th anniversary as a location for the pharmaceutical industry. Now the rumor of the closure of the Takeda plant there has been confirmed: As the "Krone" was able to find out, most of the site is being sold.

Gradual reduction of jobs
The sale concerns the infrastructure of the core competence of the site in Orth - the areas of development and production. "We will now reduce these activities during the sales process," confirmed Takeda spokesperson Astrid Kindler, emphasizing that the affected employees will be "supported in a variety of ways and will act in accordance with applicable legal requirements".

Quality control laboratory to be retained
However, the company is not withdrawing completely: "The quality control laboratory is not affected," says Kindler, "there will be no changes here. The employees were informed of the sale on Wednesday: According to Takeda, around 190 of the approximately 330 employees there are unfortunately affected by the planned sale.

Pharmaceutical company Takeda is successful in Austria: numerous awards bear witness to this. Nevertheless, a part of the business is now being sold.(Bild: Takeda)

Site in Vienna is not affected
A total of 4500 people currently work for Takeda throughout Austria. The Vienna site is not affected by the measures, however.

This is bad news for the employees in the Marchfeld region, where there is already a shortage of jobs. Elisabeth Wagnes, mayor of the village of 2,200 inhabitants, also received the bad news after an inquiry from the "Krone" newspaper: "We will nevertheless remain in close contact with the plant in order to get the best out of it for the people affected. And I hope that new jobs will be created again after the sale."