Ebusco cuts over 100 jobs – electrive.com

As the company announced at the end of December, an application has already been submitted to the Dutch Employee Insurance Agency (UWV), and the trade unions have been informed. The restructuring will primarily be implemented in the first quarter of 2025 – including a social plan for the employees affected. “Ebusco aims to find the balance in speed of decision-making and continued care for its employees as much as possible in this difficult time,” the statement reads.

The changes “aim to optimise the organisation in alignment with the previously announced Turnaround Plan and change to the Original Equipment Designer (OED) model.” In other words, Ebusco wants to rationalise (but not completely discontinue) its own production and focus on the development of electric buses in future. These can continue to be built in-house but do not have to be. As a result, the approximately 100 jobs to be cut will primarily affect the production and warehouse areas.

“Although this decision is difficult for the affected employees, it is a necessary step to improve Ebusco’s financial performance,” says CEO Christian Schreyer about the job cuts. “Scaling down the inhouse production in the Netherlands is an important part of our strategy and these measures are aimed at right-sizing the company and reinforcing Ebusco’s core strengths in sales, design and engineering.”

Executive Committee dissolved

Schreyer explains that the initial plan was to adjust the capacities (and thus the required number of employees) over a longer period of time. However, the decision was made “to expedite the process and provide clarity within a shorter timeframe.”

Ebusco had already announced cuts in top management in mid-December and eliminated an entire hierarchical level. The Executive Committee was dissolved, and the Management Board now manages the company directly. “Ebusco has concluded that its organisation can be managed more efficiently and, as a result, will adjust its organisational structure accordingly,” says the company.

This means that the roles of Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), and Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) will be eliminated. Christian Schreyer will also assume the personnel responsibilities of the CHRO. In the new structure, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) has an important position, as he is “fully responsible for the core process of the organisation from bus sale, engineering, production, to after sales. This will lead to clearer, more reliable processes and responsibilities and, ultimately, a stronger cooperation with all partners throughout the entire value chain,” Ebusco explains.

However, previous COO Roald Dogge will not take over this central role. According to the company, it was “mutually agreed that the COO role under the new OED structure requires different competencies.” Dogge retired from the company at the end of 2024. He will be succeeded by Michel van Maanen, who was previously COO and CCO of Ebusco and rejoined the company again at the beginning of 2024. He currently holds the position of Transformation Director. Before rejoining Ebusco, van Maanen was CEO of the Australian electric van company Nexport, “where he successfully managed a contract manufacturing model that is similar to the model that Ebusco is implementing.”

Ebusco reported an EBITDA loss of over 60 million euros in the first half of the year and was only able to deliver 98 electric buses during this period – despite having over 1,600 vehicles on the order books. Due to delayed deliveries, some customers cancelled their orders. At the beginning of September, there was a change of leadership when co-founder and co-CEO Peter Bijvelds stepped aside, and German-born Schreyer took over as sole CEO. In November, Ebusco completed an important capital increase to further reorganise the company.

ebusco.com (job cuts), ebusco.com (management structure)