Suche
Mein Konto
Crisis in Schwedt: PCK refinery threatens numerous jobs!
The Uckermark is the focus of the defense industry as local companies depend on the PCK refinery. What impact does this have?
Crisis in Schwedt: PCK refinery threatens numerous jobs!
There is currently a lot of movement around the PCK refinery in the Schwedt region. Over 1,000 people have jobs there, although the numerous contractor companies often fly under the radar. However, these companies are essential to the economic landscape and employ around 2,800 people in the area. According to that Northern Courier A majority of business in the region is based on PCK, which has led to mixed feedback in recent months.
Katrin Wallura, technical managing director of Apparate undwärmetauscherbau GmbH, expresses concern about the challenges ahead: “Everything depends on the PCK,” she explains. Your company, which specializes in heat exchangers, relies on orders from the refinery. Wallura emphasizes that many refineries in Germany are experiencing a decline in petroleum processing and are only carrying out necessary repairs without investing in the future.
Orders and new business areas
The situation is not much easier for Claudia Rauch from Tief- und Rohrleitungsbau Schwedt GmbH. She reports that her share of orders from PCK has fallen from 70% to just 45%. However, the company has cleverly diversified into new areas of business, such as laying water, sewage and district heating pipes, and has even hired three new employees to compensate for the impending retirement of older engineers.
Johanna Gaffrey from the family business Industrieservice Gaffrey is also observing a positive turnaround. With 20 employees, her company focuses on cleaning industrial systems and plans to expand services in the area of photovoltaic systems. “The PCK is a reliable partner for us, and its importance for the region cannot be overemphasized,” she notes.
Social responsibility and corporate values
The PCK Refinery is not only linked to the economic structure, but also has a responsibility to comply with various human rights laws. This is ensured, among other things, by compliance with the Civil Rights Act, which concerns the prohibition of discrimination. In a society that values diversity, combating discrimination based on race, gender or disability plays a central role—as it does CKCS highlights.
The challenges facing the region and the PCK have not gone unnoticed. Local industry must adapt while creating attractive jobs in order to remain relevant in the future. At a time when the trend is clearly towards orders in the defense industry, the question remains: Do we really want this development? Critical voices ask whether this is the path we want to take.
What happens next remains to be seen. The PCK remains a central player and it will be exciting to see how the regional companies will continue to act in order to adapt to the new circumstances.