Summary
- Swiss machine maker lays off staff after US tariffs
- Pfiffner already struggling due to car industry woes
- Weak German, Chinese demand hits manufacturers
UTZENSTORF, Switzerland, (Reuters) – Norbert Steuer, a logistics worker at Swiss precision machinery maker K.R. Pfiffner, has been at the firm for over three decades. Now he is one of 80 out of 105 staff due to be let go as it reels from U.S. tariffs and a struggling auto industry.
The firm, which makes million-dollar machinery used by carmakers including Mercedes-Benz and suppliers such as Robert Bosch (ROBG.UL), is at the sharp end of a tough European car market that has been buffeted by U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs and a slowdown in key export market China. Continue reading “Swiss machine maker feels heat from auto sector slowdown, Trump’s tariffs”