Stellantis Shifts Production: Italian Jobs at Risk as Morocco Plant Expands

In Basilicata, the Stellantis plant in Melfi currently employs 5,425 people, compared to 7,800 between 2014 and 2016. The supply chain, which had more than 5,000 employees during the same period, now has only 3,500. Meanwhile, in Morocco, Stellantis is investing massively. Nearly 300 million euros have been injected into the Kenitra plant to double its production capacity, which will increase from 200,000 to 400,000 vehicles per year.

"The situation of the automotive sector in our region is increasingly worrying," says Francesco Somma, president of Confindustria Basilicata, quoted by Lagazzetta de Lmezzogiorno. "The reorganization of the Stellantis production site in Melfi continues, and the local supply chain is in difficulty." Only half of the region’s suppliers have received orders for the new models produced in Melfi. "The next few weeks will be crucial to reverse the trend," he added.

Confindustria Basilicata fears an "industrial desertification" and a collapse of the regional economy. "In the absence of answers, we risk a 50% reduction in the workforce of the Melfi supply chain,"