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☆ Rhine river levels in Germany back to normal after rain
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Stephane Nitschke/File PhotoHAMBURG, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Heavy rain has raised water on the river Rhine in Germany to levels allowing cargo vessels to sail fully loaded, data from German inland waterways agency WSA said on Wednesday. Commodity traders said full loads could now be taken on by ships along the entire river in Germany. German industry is finding new ways to transport cargoes from coal to chemicals as increasingly frequent low water levels on the Rhine disrupt Europe's largest economy, major cargo shippers told Reuters. The Rhine is an important shipping route for commodities such as grains, minerals, coal and oil products, including heating oil. German companies faced supply bottlenecks and production problems in the summer of 2022 after a drought and heat wave led to unusually low water levels on the Rhine.

Persons: Stephane Nitschke, Pegelonline, Kaub, Michael Hogan, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, WSA, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ludwigshafen, Germany, Cologne

FRANKFURT/LONDON, July 26 (Reuters) - German industry is finding new ways to transport cargoes from coal to chemicals as increasingly frequent low water levels on the Rhine disrupt Europe's largest economy. At Kaub , the critical chokepoint for Rhine barges, water levels fell to their lowest this year earlier this week. ARTERY OF THE ECONOMYThe impact of low water levels is not limited to big business. But logistics firms are benefiting from rising demand for vessels adapted to lower river levels. "We expect, due to climate change, that the extremes on the river Rhine will happen more often," said Maickel Uijtewaal, general manager at Stolt-Nielsen (SNI.OL).

Persons: Uwe Arndt, Barbara Hoyer, majeure, Roberto Spranzi, Maickel Uijtewaal, Steffen Bauer, Christoph Steitz, Vera Eckert, Ludwig Burger, Patricia Weiss, Rene Wagner, Nette, Tom Kaeckenhoff, Matthias Inverardi, Vincent Flasseur, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Federal Waterways, Shipping Agency, Reuters Graphics, Cologne, BASF, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Kiel Institute, Deutsche Bank, Reuters, Stolt, Nielsen, HGK Shipping, Daniels, Midland Co, Chemicals, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, LONDON, Kaub, Europe, Reuters Graphics Germany, Ludwigshafen, HGK, Frankfurt, Berlin, Duesseldorf, London

☆ Here's everything you need to know about Lidl, the German discount chain that's struggling to keep up with Aldi's rapid US growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Lidl opened 450 stores in Germany in just 15 yearsA Lidl store in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1998. Shortly after, it opened stores elsewhere in Europe, including Italy in 1992 and the UK in 1994. In 2006, the retailer launched Lidl Asia, a sourcing arm for the company which has more than 1,000 employees across Hong Kong, China, and Bangladesh. Lidl launched its online store in 2009. Lidl is part of the Schwarz Group, alongside sister company Kaufland, a hypermarket chain launched by Schwarz in the 1980s.

Persons: Lidl, Claus Felix, Josef Schwarz, Dieter Schwarz, Schwarz, Josef, Kaufland Organizations: Getty, Lidl, Bloomberg, Schwarz Locations: Germany, Nuremberg, Ludwigshafen, Mundenheim, France, Europe, Italy, Asia, Hong Kong, China, Bangladesh, Lidl Northern Ireland, Neckarsulm

☆ As U.S. Tries to Isolate China, German Companies Move Closer
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Melissa Eddy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As Washington seeks to throttle economic ties with Beijing, two powerful engines of the German economy, Volkswagen and the chemical company BASF, are broadening their huge Chinese investments. Volkswagen, which has more than 40 plants in China, announced a new effort to tailor models to Chinese customers’ wishes, with features like in-dash karaoke machines, and will invest billions in local partnerships and production sites. It’s part of a theme unveiled by the German automaker last year: “In China for China.”BASF, with 30 production facilities in China, is pushing ahead with plans to spend 10 billion euros ($10.9 billion) on a new chemical production complex that would rival in size its massive headquarters complex in Ludwigshafen, which covers about four square miles. Throughout Germany, executives are aware such investments run contrary to efforts by the United States to isolate China economically. They counter that revenue from China is essential for their businesses to thrive and grow in Europe.

☆ BASF to cut 2,600 jobs on high costs in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A view of a chemical plant of German company BASF, in Ludwigshafen, Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany, on October 06, 2022 in Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF said it would cut 2,600 jobs and halt its share buybacks as it warned of a further decline in earnings reflecting high costs in Europe, uncertainty due to the war in Ukraine and rising interest rates. BASF, which in October laid out plans to cut annual costs in Europe by 500 million euros, said on Friday that this would translate into about 2,600 job cuts, about 65% of which would be in Germany and laid out plans to cut another 200 million euros in annual costs. A share buyback programme, with 3 billion euros earmarked early last year, will be stopped early after 1.4 billion euros spent on own shares due to "profound changes in the global economy", it added. Among the cutbacks in Ludwigshafen, BASF will stop production of caprolactam used in engineering plastics and textile fibres, using instead a production line in Belgium.

☆ BASF flags earnings decline, job cuts on high costs in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Ludwig Burger | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The German chemicals giant said in a statement on Friday that 2023 earnings before interest and tax (EBIT), adjusted for special items, would fall to between 4.8 billion euros ($5.09 billion) and 5.4 billion from 6.9 billion in 2022, which was down 11.5% from 2021. BASF, which in October laid out plans to cut annual costs in Europe by 500 million euros, said on Friday that this would translate into about 2,600 job cuts, about 65% of which would be in Germany and laid out plans to cut another 200 million euros in annual costs. A share buyback programme, with 3 billion euros earmarked early last year, will be stopped early after 1.4 billion euros spent on own shares due to "profound changes in the global economy", it added. On Friday, it revised the net loss downwards to 627 million euros. Among the cutbacks in Ludwigshafen, BASF will stop production of caprolactam used in engineering plastics and textile fibres, using instead a production line in Belgium.

☆ BASF picks right time to share pain with investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 24 (Reuters Breakingviews) - BASF (BASFn.DE) continues to provide the best metaphor for the German economy. The group will cut 2% of its workforce in a 550 million euros cost-cutting effort that includes plant closures. Investors who might have cheered the news sent the stock tanking by 6% as BASF boss Martin Brudermüller is also suspending a 3 billion euros share buyback. Politically that may have allowed the group to maintain its dividend at a planned 3.40 euros a share. The closure of one of two ammonia plants in the company’s stronghold of Ludwigshafen was expected - a Belgian plant in Antwerp can supply the global market.

☆ Here's everything you need to know about Lidl, the Aldi discount rival that's expanding across the US
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The drop is not just because industrial companies are turning down thermostats, they are also shutting down plants that may never reopen. And while lower energy use helps Europe weather the crisis sparked by Russia's war in Ukraine and Moscow's supply cuts, executives, economists and industry groups warn its industrial base may end up severely weakened if high energy costs persist. Reuters GraphicsThe International Energy Agency estimates European industrial gas demand fell by 25% in the third quarter from a year earlier. "We are doing all we can to prevent a reduction in industrial activity," an European Commission spokesperson said in an email. "From Jan. 1, we will be able to switch to oil," company executive Wolfgang Ott said, as the company seeks government help to cushion energy costs.

A logo is seen on the facade of the BASF plant in Schweizerhalle near Basel July 7, 2009. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann/File PhotoFRANKFURT, Oct 12 (Reuters) - BASF (BASFn.DE) is to reduce annual costs by 500 million euros ($485 million) in Europe up to 2024, including job cuts, as the German chemicals group took a 740 million euro writedown linked to the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. BASF cited significantly weaker earnings in Europe due to "deteriorating framework conditions" and a loss in Germany in the third quarter as reasons for the cutbacks. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe group said its third-quarter net income was below market expectations due to the 740 million euro writedown linked to the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline. A BASF spokesperson said job cuts would be part of the efficiency drive, declining to give a number.

☆ BASF CFO Faces Wild Swings in Energy Prices as Company Looks to Budget for 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-07 | by ( Nina Trentmann | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

There are roughly 15,000 people working for Mr. Engel, including in the company’s digital, finance and global shared-service teams. Mr. Engel declined to comment on the financial impact of the cut in production. However, the company expects it will become more difficult to pass on higher costs to customers, Mr. Engel said. Cash flows from operating activities came in at €1.2 billion in the second quarter, down €1.3 billion from the prior-year period. The company is slowing down its hiring and reducing its marketing budget, Mr. Engel said, adding that it hasn’t started cutting jobs.

☆ Rocketing energy costs are savaging German industry
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-07 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“We don’t need a crystal ball to see a further weakening of German industry in the coming months. The full impact of higher energy prices will only be felt in the last months of the year,” he said. Energy prices started rising last fall, and then shot even higher when Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, sparking an energy standoff between Europe and Moscow. Energy costs at Prysmian’s six German factories are expected to soar to €20 million ($20 million) this year from just €5 million ($5 million) in 2021. “German industry, the so-called ‘Mittlestand’, the small and medium [sized] companies, are quite resilient and adaptable,” he said.

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