Volyn auto components plant for BMW halts after Russian strikes: what will happen to thousands of workers
In Volyn, after Russian strikes, one of the largest producers of automotive wiring for the European auto industry halted operations. The plant of German company Kromberg & Schubert near Lutsk, where, according to company data for 2025, about 5,500 people worked, officially announced the cessation of production on October 17. The enterprise fulfills orders for BMW, and its stoppage has once again raised the issue of safety of Ukrainian factories included in international supply chains.
The timeline for resuming operations is currently unknown. Management is assessing the consequences of the attacks and asks employees to stay in touch with their immediate supervisors. At the same time, the company has not announced any decisions about mass layoffs.
The situation is particularly noteworthy because this is already the second Ukrainian enterprise of the German group Kromberg & Schubert forced to halt production after Russian strikes in recent months.
What happened to the plant near Lutsk
On October 16, Russian drones repeatedly attacked an industrial enterprise in the village of Rovantsi, Lutsk district. According to "Suspilne Lutsk", the Kromberg & Schubert plant was attacked three times over the course of the day.
A fire broke out on the territory of the enterprise. The work of rescuers was complicated by the threat of repeated strikes. According to local authorities, there were no fatalities or injuries directly at the plant.
The next day, the company confirmed that the enterprise had stopped work.
"The plant's operations are halted!" reads the official statement from Kromberg & Schubert on October 17.
Management stressed that the highest priority remains the safety, life, and health of employees. Experts are currently assessing the situation and determining further actions.
The company also thanked the units of the State Emergency Service and other emergency services for their prompt work.
Employees are advised to maintain contact with their immediate supervisors. Information about returning to work will be communicated through internal channels of the enterprise when possible.
The extent of damage to production equipment and the timeline for restoring output have not yet been disclosed.
Why the stoppage of a Ukrainian plant concerns BMW and the European auto industry
Kromberg & Schubert is an international manufacturer of automotive cable systems and electrical components. The German-origin company operates at more than 40 production sites worldwide and employs over 50,000 people.
Its products are used by well-known automotive groups. As reported by "Interfax-Ukraine", the plant near Lutsk is linked to the supply of components for BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Porsche.
Moreover, in the corporate materials of the company for 2025, BMW is named as a current customer of the Lutsk site. Previously, the plant also produced for Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen.
The plant's main specialization is the production of automotive cable harnesses. These are complex sets of wires and connectors that integrate the electrical and electronic systems of a car.
They enable the operation of numerous components – from lighting and sensors to electronic control units. Without the cable systems designed into a vehicle, it is impossible to complete the assembly of that vehicle.
Therefore, it is important for manufacturers to receive such products exactly on schedule and in the necessary volumes.
More than 30 trucks of products every week: the scale of production
The importance of the Lutsk plant for the international automotive industry is evidenced by the company's own data.
In an anniversary article published in May 2025, the head of Kromberg & Schubert's warehouse division said that the enterprise received 40–45 trucks with raw materials and containers weekly.
More than 30 more trucks with finished products and containers were sent to customers every week.
The total warehouse area was about 4,000 square meters, and the value of stored raw materials amounted to millions of euros.
These figures refer to 2025 and do not directly reflect production volumes at the time of the attack. However, they allow an assessment of the scale of logistics flows associated with the enterprise.
Now the key question is how the stoppage of the plant will affect the fulfillment of orders.
There are no confirmed reports of disruptions at BMW assembly plants or other European carmakers. It is also unknown what inventory the customers have and whether other sites of the group can compensate for the cessation of production in Volyn.
Therefore, it would be premature to claim that the Russian strikes have already halted car production in Europe. However, the very dependence of international production on supplies of individual components shows why the safety of such enterprises matters far beyond Ukraine.
What will happen to the 5,500 employees of the plant
For the Volyn region, the stoppage of Kromberg & Schubert is not only an industrial but also a social problem.
The enterprise has operated in Ukraine since 2005. It began with a team of about 300 employees. Over two decades, the plant has become one of the largest employers in the region.
In May 2025, management reported that the team numbered about 5,500 people. The official page of the plant also indicates a scale of 5,000 jobs.
The company provides employees with official employment, social guarantees, medical insurance, organized transport, and meals.
At the same time, the production plays an important role not only for the directly employed workers. The activities of such an enterprise are connected with suppliers of raw materials, transport companies, service organizations, and other participants in the local economy.
However, the stoppage of production lines in itself does not mean dismissals of employees.
As of October 17, management has neither reported staff reductions nor the final closure of the plant. It is also currently unknown what work and payment regime will apply to employees during the forced downtime.
Therefore, for thousands of workers, the main question remains the duration of the stoppage and the possibility of restoring production.
This is already the second affected plant of one German company
The stoppage of the plant near Lutsk came several months after serious damage to another Ukrainian Kromberg & Schubert factory.
On August 10, Kurs Ukrainy reported that the group's enterprise in Zhytomyr region temporarily suspended work after a Russian attack.
At that time, the production infrastructure suffered significant damage. The company stated that the resumption timeline would become known after a technical assessment of the destruction.
The Zhytomyr plant employed about 3,500 people and also manufactured automotive components for international manufacturers.
According to "Interfax-Ukraine", the enterprise was struck again in August and September. After further damage at the end of September, work had to be suspended indefinitely.
Thus, Russian attacks have already affected two major Ukrainian sites of one international company.
Moreover, Kromberg & Schubert continued to invest in Ukrainian production even during the full-scale war. In May 2025, representatives of the Lutsk plant spoke about several large projects planned until 2030 and intentions to preserve jobs.
Now the further implementation of these plans depends, among other things, on the ability to safely restore production capacity.
When might the plant resume operations
As of October 17, Kromberg & Schubert has not named an expected date for resuming production in Rovantsi.
Management continues to assess the consequences of the strikes and coordinate further actions. Final information about equipment damage, necessary restoration works, and possible reallocation of orders is not yet available.
For the company's employees, the main source of information remains official internal communications.
For European carmakers, the length of the stoppage, availability of component inventory, and the possibility of shifting part of production to other sites will be of importance.
Russian strikes on Volyn have shown that the consequences of war can affect not only Ukrainian infrastructure but also enterprises embedded in international industrial cooperation.
At the same time, the most immediate consequences of the stoppage are now felt by the region itself: thousands of employees of a major employer are waiting for a decision on resuming work, while the enterprise assesses the possibility of restoring production after the attacks.
Based on materials from: "Interfax-Ukraine", "Suspilne Lutsk", "Ukrinform", official Kromberg & Schubert website, corporate article on the company's 20th anniversary.