Company announcement: mbw Group shuts down Hartha and hands over Lichtenau to a new management team.
In a recent development, the MbW group, a leading provider of metal surface finishing, has announced the closure of its site in Hartha, Saxony, by October 31, 2025. The decision was made due to a major customer shifting orders away from the site, rendering further operation economically unfeasible.
The affected employees at the Hartha site were personally informed about the closure on July 15, 2025. The workforce at the Lichtenau site, which was transferred to Arthur Henninger GmbH as a new operator on August 1, 2025, was taken over under existing terms.
The MbW group, headquartered in Rheinmünster, Baden-Württemberg, has been grappling with financial difficulties primarily due to the economic downturn in the automotive industry. The group's coating systems are used by renowned companies in the automotive, construction, and hardware, and electrical industries.
Currently, the MbW group is negotiating with several interested parties for the remaining sites in Rheinmünster, Mühlhausen, and Sömmerda. These negotiations give the group cautious optimism, indicating a potential for continuity of operations at these locations.
The MbW group is not alone in facing challenges. The energy-intensive MbW group is particularly affected by high energy prices and the requirements for achieving carbon neutrality, as highlighted by the ongoing insolvency proceedings opened on March 1, 2025, at the Baden-Baden local court.
Schultze & Braun GmbH & Co. KG, a corporate group specializing in metal surface finishing with headquarters in Rheinmünster, is currently acting as the insolvency administrator and advisor for the MbW group. However, there are no publicly available or recent detailed updates specifically about the current status of Schultze & Braun's individual sites in Rheinmünster, Mühlhausen, and Sömmerda following the closure of the Hartha site and transfer of the Lichtenau site to Arthur Henninger GmbH.
Arthur Henninger GmbH, a service provider for galvanic surface coating with locations in Hagenbach (Rhineland-Palatinate) and Karlsruhe (Baden-Württemberg), is the new operator at the Lichtenau site. The MbW group is supporting the employees in Hartha in finding new employment to the best of its ability.
As the situation evolves, it is hoped that the MbW group will find suitable investors for its remaining sites, ensuring the continuity of operations and the preservation of jobs in the metal surface finishing industry.
The MbW group is currently in discussions with potential investors for its remaining sites in Rheinmünster, Mühlhausen, and Sömmerda, as they strive to maintain operations and preserve jobs within the business sector. With the rising energy costs and the need for carbon neutrality, the group's financial struggles in the metal surface finishing industry continue to be a considerable challenge.
