Daimler Truck has fired a clear warning shot across Europe’s industrial bow by unveiling a sharp-edged restructuring plan that will see 5 000 jobs cut in Germany by 2030 as part of its “Cost Down Europe” programme – an effort aimed squarely at boosting margins and simplifying operations under the OEM’s new “Stronger 2030” strategy.
“The focus is first and foremost on our customers,” said Achim Puchert, Board Member responsible for Mercedes-Benz Trucks. “We will restructure our organisation for higher efficiency and reduced complexity – primarily by delivering on our Cost Down Europe programme.”
The cuts, concentrated in administrative, production and sales roles across German sites, will be implemented through “natural attrition”, early retirement and selective severance packages.
It’s a familiar formula but the scale makes it one of the most significant European contractions the group has announced in years.
Daimler Truck is banking on modular strategy, global scale and a renewed service focus to deliver long-term profitability. The goal: an adjusted return on sales above 12% in its industrial business by 2030, up from 8.9% in 2024. At Mercedes-Benz Trucks, that means leveraging its “ONE global team” with India and China, shifting more production to best-cost countries and halving product complexity.
“We will grow in areas with major potential, such as zero-emission trucking in Europe, the defence sector as well as our parts and services business,” said Puchert.
The new strategy signals a deeper retreat from Europe’s high-cost base as Daimler Truck repositions itself to compete across North America, India and the defence sector.
With fuel cell truck production now delayed until the early 2030s, and battery-electric investment scaled back in line with market uptake, the group is hedging its bets. “Our flexible, modular technology strategy enables Daimler Truck to transform at the speed of right,” said Andreas Gorbach, Board Member for Truck Technology. “Depending on the transformation speed in different markets, we deliver the right technologies at the right time.”
Karin Rådström, President & CEO of Daimler Truck concluded: “At Daimler Truck, we are proud to work for all who keep the world moving. And we want to build the best truck and bus company – for our customers, our employees and our shareholders. We have the strategy in place and we are establishing the performance culture to achieve this ambition. When we do it right, it brings us to a profitability of more than 12% return on sales by 2030.”
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