Danone has announced to the unions its intention to close the production factory in Parets del Vallès (Vallès Oriental), where 157 people work directly. The French multinational has summoned the representatives of the workers to a meeting on January 17 to address the process of ceasing the activity, which is expected to be finalized in a few months. It is one of the company’s most emblematic centers in Spain, with more than 40 years of existence, and where the first Danacol or Actimel came out. It now manufactures Activia, Alpro yogurts and other fruit products. Company sources attribute the decision to a production optimization process. They point to a drop in sales volume, something that would make the continuity of the Catalan plant “unfeasible”, they stress. Only last year Danone announced an investment of 6.7 million in the center to promote its digitization. The Parets factory had produced nearly 110,000 tons of yogurts and other dairy products and currently produces around 60,000.
Danone has explained that they will work with the unions to try to minimize the impact on jobs and offer “the best possible solutions” to the workforce. Specifically, they are committed to promoting the reindustrialization of the area and the possible sale to a third party is not ruled out. For its part, CC.OO. has rejected the closure and has urged the company to backtrack on its intentions. Waiting to sit down to negotiate next week, they have demanded an industrial plan that guarantees the continuity of activity and work. “Our priority is to maintain jobs and for production volumes to remain in Spain”, said Pedro Gutiérrez, general secretary of the Intercentres Trade Union Section of CC.OO. to Danone. The Parets staff received the news with great concern. The Ministry of Industry is also following the situation.
In recent years, the company has applied a process of industrial concentration that has led to the closure of two plants in Spain. In 2013, a center was closed in Seville, and last year, another in Asturias. The latter ended up being acquired by a Dutch multinational. Currently, Danone has three active dairy plants in Spain, where it employs around 2,000 people. In addition to Parets del Vallès, it has a large center in Tres Cantos (Madrid) and another in Aldaia (Horta Sud). In addition, it maintains three water plants in Sant Hilari Sacalm (Selva), Lanjarón (Granada) and Sigüenza (Guadalajara).
Until September 2023, it invoiced 21,118 million euros, 2% more compared to the same period in 2022.
