Previously already Liebherr

iDM company sends employees on a 4-day week

iDM in Matrei in East Tyrol switched to a 4-day week.

(Bild: Martin Oberbichler)

Logistics and production employees at heat pump manufacturer iDM in Matrei in East Tyrol will have to forgo part of their salary until January 2025. Nevertheless, a large-scale expansion is taking place at another location in Austria.

A turnover of 200 million euros, expansions and a sales subsidiary in Italy and Madrid - the balance sheet and further plans of the East Tyrolean heat pump manufacturer iDM sounded promising at the beginning of the year. Even then, however, the managing directors admitted that the market had slumped slightly.

Since October 1, the company has switched to a 4-day week until January 2025 in agreement with the employees and the works council.

Das Unternehmen

Internal company agreement
The fact that the upturn did not materialize as hoped became clear in September at the latest, when 22 employees were made redundant - 18 in Matrei and four at the plant in Spittal in Carinthia.

The next setback followed a month later, as has now been confirmed: "The current order situation and the effects of stock levels in the supply chains have prompted us to make an internal agreement for a temporary adjustment to working hours in the areas of logistics and production. Since October 1, we have switched to a 4-day week until January 2025 in agreement with the employees and the works council."

The trucks and the parking garage will therefore stand still for one day.

(Bild: Martin Oberbichler)

Compensation payment to cushion salary shortfall
In concrete terms, this means a reduction in capacity of 20 percent. To cushion salary losses, iDM is paying a voluntary allowance to continue paying employees at least 90 percent of their original salaries. "AMS short-time work was not applied for."

Liebherr acted in a similar way. Instead of the short-time working that was not granted - as reported by the "Krone" - the 4-day week was introduced from October to December.

Major expansion in Carinthia, despite lower demand
Due to the weakening demand, the expansion of the plant in Spittal seems questionable. The go-ahead was recently given for the construction of new halls at a cost of around 16.5 million euros. "In the medium term, 200 people are to be employed there. The current funding figures for the renewable funding package also point to a positive development."