FRANKFURT: Opel, the loss-making German arm of US auto giant General Motors, said it would halt auto production at its Bochum plant in 2016 but pledged to keep it running as a parts distribution center.
“Opel management has today informed the workforce that full vehicle production at the Bochum plant will be discontinued after production of the Zafira model is scheduled to cease in 2016,” the statement said.
Opel had already announced in June that it would stop building Zafira cars in Bochum in 2016.
“The main reasons behind this decision are the dramatic decline in the European car market and the enormous overcapacity in the entire industry,” Opel explained.
Despite “intensive efforts, we have been unable to change this situation.”
On Friday, the works committee had said the decision could mean the entire site might be shut down with the potential loss of up to 3,000 jobs.
But management insisted that would not be the case and that although vehicle production would cease, Bochum would be used as a parts distribution center after that date.
Indeed, in its new function, the plant could even be expanded as part of an initiative to secure existing jobs at Bochum and even create new ones.
“It is our clear intention to safeguard the jobs of a significant number of Opel employees in Bochum, said head of GM Europe Steve Girsky.
“Germany is our most important market and, with around 20,000 employees, the backbone and home of our brand. That will remain true in the future,” said Opel deputy chief Thomas Sedran.
According to the German news agency DPA, “several hundreds” of jobs would be created in the new parts distribution center, but a company spokesman declined to confirm the figure.
“Everything is still being negotiated,” he told AFP.
GM estimates it stands to lose more than $ 1.5 billion (1.2 billion euros) on its European operations this year and wants to steer Opel and its British sister brand Vauxhall back to profit by 2015.
Opel and Vauxhall are heavily dependent on the European market where industry-wide sales fell by 15 percent in the first nine months, according to data published by the European autombile makers’ association.
The German government expressed “great regret” at Opel’s decision to cease vehicle production at Bochum.
“That’s a terrible blow for the people affected and their families, as well as for Bochum as an industrial site,” said government spokesman Georg Streiter.
“The government regards Opel as a key company in the German automobile sector and expects the parent company General Motors to undertake everything to reach a solution that is socially acceptable,” Streiter told a regular news briefing in Berlin.
He said the government welcomed Opel’s intention to retain and expand Bochum into a logistics center.
Opel to cease car production at Bochum plant
Opel to cease car production at Bochum plant
How KAUST is transforming waste into wealth
- Researchers target $275m market with waste-to-value algae innovation
RIYADH: Turning food waste into a valuable industrial product may sound improbable, but scientists at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology are proving it is possible — using algae that has existed for millions of years.
Last month, researchers at the university unveiled a sustainable method that harnesses an ancient red microalga to reduce food waste in the Kingdom while producing a high-demand natural pigment.
The study was led by bioengineering student Mauricio Masson, with support from Michael Fox, assistant professor of marine science, alongside researchers from KAUST and the Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation. The international team included Kyle Lauersen, KAUST associate professor and lead author of the study.
The research highlights a “sustainable bioprocessing” approach, demonstrating how an aquatic plant can convert chocolate factory waste into C-phycocyanin — a blue pigment with a global market expected to reach $275 million over the next four years.
“Our research focused on an extremophilic red alga that can thrive in harsh conditions and efficiently consume sugars and nutrients found in food waste streams,” said Lauersen.
Lauersen is an associate professor and chair of the bioscience and bioengineering programs in the Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division at KAUST. He explained that a key objective of the study was to show that food waste — often discarded or sent to landfills — can be repurposed as a feedstock for producing high-value compounds, including natural pigments and proteins, through algae-based bioprocesses.
“Our main goal was to develop an environmentally friendly approach to turn waste into useful products that have the potential to be scaled,” Lauersen told Arab News.
FASTFACT
Did you know?
• By 2030, the global market for C-phycocyanin is projected to exceed $275 million, reflecting growing demand across food, health, and industrial sectors.
• C-phycocyanin has demonstrated potential benefits in antioxidation, inflammation, cancer research, antimicrobial activity, neurodegeneration, diabetes management, and wound healing.
• As a natural pigment, C-phycocyanin offers a healthier alternative to synthetic food colorants and is approved by the US FDA for use in food products.
He added: “Algae are especially well suited for this because they grow quickly, require relatively few resources, and can metabolize a wide range of organic compounds.”
The red microalga Galdieria yellowstonensis feeds on chocolate waste rich in residual sugars, producing a protein-dense biomass that contains C-phycocyanin, according to KAUST. The pigment is widely used as a natural food coloring — found in products such as ice cream and blue-colored beverages — as well as in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
Beyond the study’s original goals, researchers also discovered that elevated levels of carbon dioxide significantly enhance algae growth, even though CO₂ is typically considered a byproduct of microbial sugar consumption.
Another major outcome of the research is its potential to reduce land pollution by transforming food waste into a nutrient source for algae, offering a sustainable alternative to disposal.
KAUST believes the findings could positively impact Saudi Arabia’s economy by helping food manufacturers lower production costs while addressing environmental concerns.
“The species we studied can grow on waste streams that are unsuitable for conventional crops or microorganisms,” said Lauersen.
“This makes algae an attractive platform for circular economy solutions, where waste is transformed directly into valuable materials rather than being treated as a disposal problem.”
The research effort is ongoing. Scientists at KAUST are currently collecting chocolate waste locally and plan to scale up the process using other industrial waste streams available across the Kingdom. The initiative aims to support companies in transitioning toward a circular carbon economy while contributing to Saudi Arabia’s green agenda.
“Food waste is a major global challenge, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, resource inefficiency, and environmental degradation,” said Lauersen.
“By recycling waste into useful products, we can reduce pressure on landfills, lower emissions, and make better use of existing resources.”
“These types of solutions are essential as industries worldwide face growing demands to become more sustainable and climate resilient, especially in the Middle East, which relies on heavily on imports.”
