Industry Olten-based company EAO plans to cut around 150 jobs by 2027

The manufacturer of keyboard and control elements EAO wants to relocate around half of its 300 jobs in Olten SO to eastern Germany. The reason for this is currency and demand fluctuations, as the company announced on Wednesday.

With the modernization and centralization of the European logistics organization and the relocation of activities from Olten to the production site in Auerbach in the German state of Saxony, the company is repositioning itself for the future. The company is heavily dependent on exports and expects the currency situation to remain unfavorable with the strong Swiss franc.

The headquarters with important central functions will remain in Olten, as will part of production, EAO announced. The transformation by the end of 2027 will also affect subsidiaries in Europe. Founded in 1947, the family-owned company claims to be one of the world's leading manufacturers of high-quality keys, keyboards, control elements and human machine interfaces.

New locations in Delhi and Guangzhou

Business in India and China is being expanded to ensure the "sustainable further development" of the company, as EAO writes. According to the company, it employs 600 people worldwide.

Major investments are planned, particularly in the Indian railroad infrastructure. With two new logistics hubs in Delhi (India) and Guangzhou (China), it will be possible to better support local customers, it said.

"This is regrettable for Olten as a business location," said Thomas Marbet, Mayor of Olten, when asked about the job cuts by the Keystone-SDA news agency on Wednesday. He had been personally informed in advance by the Chairman of the Board of Directors and the company's CFO on Tuesday.

As President of the Olten Region Economic Development Agency, he was pleased that the Research and Development department, among others, would remain in Olten, said Marbet. "The EAO name is not disappearing from the region."