Coperion to close Ferrara site, affecting all 80 jobs

Coperion's Ferrara site (compounding, extrusion and bulk-material-handling systems), acquired by US investor Lone Star only in January 2026, unexpectedly announced a collective dismissal procedure for all 80 employees (77 of them in Ferrara) with full site closure on 20 July 2026. According to the union, the site is not loss-making and has orders on its books; a sale of the business unit was reportedly never examined. A meeting between company and unions is scheduled for 28 July, and the Emilia-Romagna region has been asked to convene a round table. UPDATE (25 July 2026): Opposition is growing — unions are demanding the collective dismissal procedure be suspended, the workforce is mobilising, and local politicians are pressing the municipality to intervene. The first negotiation meeting with management remains scheduled for 28 July. UPDATE (31 July 2026): The Emilia-Romagna Region convened the regional crisis table for Monday 3 August 2026; regional minister Paglia called it unacceptable to close an important company overnight. Following the start of the collective dismissal procedure the unions declared a state of industrial action ('stato di agitazione'). UPDATE (3 August 2026): At the regional crisis table in Bologna, the Region and the unions (Cgil, Cisl, Uil) jointly demanded that the collective dismissal procedure be withdrawn or suspended to allow genuine negotiations. Italian management named the end of March as a reasonable deadline for completing the orders still on the books. The unions issued an ultimatum: if no answer comes at the meeting on Wednesday 5 August 2026, strike action has been announced. Update (18 Sep 2026): The negotiating table at the Emilia-Romagna region on 18 September 2026 ended without agreement (“fumata nera”): instead of withdrawing the collective redundancy procedure as demanded, Coperion offered only a 60-day suspension and floated giving an advisor a re-industrialisation mandate — the unions considered both too vague. The staff assembly voted a further 40 hours of strikes, and the regional labour councillor has reconvened the table within a week (Il Resto del Carlino, 19 Sep 2026). Update (25 Sep 2026): The negotiating table has been convened for 28 Sep 2026 at the Ministry of Labour in Rome; workers announced that unless their demands are fully accepted, an indefinite strike with a complete blockade of operations, logistics and production will start automatically on 29 Sep 2026 (estense.com, 25 Sep 2026).