
Stellantis to cut up to 200 jobs through voluntary exits at Italy's Termoli plant
Carmaker
Stellantis
has agreed with trade unions to implement up to 200 voluntary redundancies at its
Termoli plant
in central Italy, the company said on Thursday.
The announcement follows similar ones on Wednesday and last month for other Italian plants, allowing the Fiat-maker to reduce its workforce in the country by up to some 1,000 employees.
The initiative is part of the company's strategy aimed at rejuvenating its workforce in Italy, which recently included around 300 new hires in Turin, the historic home city of Fiat, and Atessa in central Italy, Stellantis said in a statement.
The company has fewer than 40,000 staff in Italy, down from 55,000 in early 2021, when it was created through the merger of
Fiat Chrysler
and Peugeot maker PSA.
"Stellantis reaffirms that Italy is at the centre of the group's strategies," it said.
Stellantis presented a plan to the Italian government last December to revitalise its output in the country, following years of declining production but the benefit is not expected to be felt until next year.
In March, Stellantis began preparatory activities at the Termoli plant for installing a production line dedicated to electric Dual Clutch Transmission (eDCT) gearboxes for current and future hybrid vehicles.
With this development, Termoli became the third Stellantis production hub alongside Mirafiori in Turin and Metz in France.
Termoli was also one of the sites that Stellantis-led joint venture ACC picked to build its three EV battery making plants in Europe, although ACC subsequently put the plans for gigafactories in Italy and Germany on hold due to sluggish market demand for electric vehicles.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Mint
34 minutes ago
- Mint
Rare-earth crunch: India's quest for critical minerals must race the clock
Aditya Sinha , Aatman Shah Our EV makers face a rare-earth magnet scarcity while the country faces a steep challenge in securing local supplies of various rarely found critical minerals. But a Quad-led effort could forge a realistic action plan to create a supply chain independent of China. India should advocate a partnership within the Quad, anchored by an Indo-Pacific Rare Earth Processing Hub in India. Gift this article Globally, critical mineral development is marked by long gestation cycles, taking 15–25 years from discovery to production, given the inherently uncertain nature of exploration and hurdles at multiple stages of mine development. Australia's Olympic Dam project took 13 years and Mongolia's Oyu Tolgoi took 20 years. Globally, critical mineral development is marked by long gestation cycles, taking 15–25 years from discovery to production, given the inherently uncertain nature of exploration and hurdles at multiple stages of mine development. Australia's Olympic Dam project took 13 years and Mongolia's Oyu Tolgoi took 20 years. Even in the US, the Thacker Pass lithium project was delayed by about a decade as it faced environmental litigation. These delays reflect universal geological, regulatory, social and financial constraints. India's critical mineral strategy faces added hurdles from legacy inefficiencies, under-resourced exploration and fragmented institutional coordination. Geologically rich areas like Bastar Craton and Karbi Anglong are yet to move beyond early-stage exploration. The Geological Survey of India has historically focused on bulk commodities, resulting in inadequate pre-auction data on rare minerals under the post-2015 regime. Our lack of fully validated reserves tends to deter private sector participation. Infrastructure gaps, tribal rights issues and delayed clearances further slow progress. Also, India faces steep technical barriers in downstream processing. Rare earth separation requires up to 180 solvent extraction steps, demanding precision in chemical parameters and contamination control. Australia, while mining over half the world's lithium, processes only a fraction domestically and relies heavily on China. Indonesia's efforts to process nickel through 'high-pressure acid leach' (HPAL) plants have been marred by shutdowns, cost overruns and corrosion-related technical failures. Also Read: Rare earths: China is choking its own prospects of leadership India suffers from five critical deficits. First, process R&D infrastructure is minimal, with pilot-scale capability available only with a handful of government labs like CSIR-NML and BARC. Second, India lacks commercial-scale plants for key processing methods like 'solvent extraction-electrowinning' (SX-EW) or HPAL that are essential for extracting materials like copper, lithium or nickel from complex ores. Third, Indian facilities don't offer the ultra-high purity needed for battery-grade lithium or rare-earth magnets. Fourth, our hazardous waste handling is inadequate; the processing of some rare earths generates radioactive tailings and acidic sludge that require advanced containment systems. Finally, India lacks digitized continuous process control systems that are essential for safe, consistent and scalable refining. Without addressing these gaps, India won't be able to capture value beyond raw extraction (whenever mining starts). Also Read: China risks overplaying its hand by curbing rare earth exports Fortunately, there have been a slew of reforms lately. The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act of 2023, for instance, empowers the Centre to exclusively auction mineral concessions for 24 critical minerals. It also removes six minerals from the restrictive list of atomic minerals, thereby opening them up to the private sector. The Act also introduces a new category of exploration licences through reverse bidding, allowing private and foreign firms to undertake reconnaissance and prospecting for deep-seated, high-value critical minerals. Aimed at attracting foreign investment and explorers with advanced technology and risk capital, the regime was launched in March 2025, with auctions for 13 blocks across eight states. The government also aims to introduce viability gap funding, ease regulatory norms and fast-track rare-earth mine auctions. The aim is to capture 10% of global rare-earth processing capacity supported by incentives under the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) 2025 and a proposed ₹ 1,500 crore recycling incentive scheme. While state-run firms are being mobilized, the real thrust must come from private participation. Magnet imports doubled in 2024-25 and tightening Chinese export controls have added to the urgency. But this is too little too late. While China has mastered the entire value chain, India has not even scratched the surface. Our processing technology is primitive and concentrated in a single state-owned company, Indian Rare Earths Ltd. Recent reforms cannot compensate for decades of lost time, inadequate research and strategic inertia. By the time we catch up, the geopolitical window may shut. Without speed and global alignment, current efforts risk being symbolic. India should advocate a partnership within the Quad, anchored by an Indo-Pacific Rare Earth Processing Hub in India. Each member can offer a unique strength: Australia has raw materials, Japan has technology and India could do the processing, while the US invests and generates demand. Under the NCMM 2025, a research stream led by the Anusandhan National Research Foundation should drive innovation across the value chain. This would include scaling advanced extraction methods like bio-leaching and solvent extraction, developing capabilities for rare earth separation and ultra-high-purity fabrication, and building digital infrastructure. Further, while restricting exports to promote downstream industries is a valid strategy, it should be pursued only after India has developed adequate processing capacity. At the same time, the planning and construction of processing facilities must begin in parallel with mining and exploration, rather than waiting for their completion. Even these efforts would barely scratch the surface. What India needs are radical, time-bound disruptions. The authors are public policy professionals. Topics You May Be Interested In


India.com
2 hours ago
- India.com
Amid Israel-Iran war, India's 6 most valued firms earn Rs 1.62 lakh crore in just five days due to..., Mukesh Ambani's Reliance earns Rs...
Mukesh Ambani (File) While markets from United States to Asia have declined due to global tensions caused by the Israel-Iran war, which have been further exacerbated by America's entry into the war on Sunday, the Indian stock market remains unaffected, and is in fact witnessing a sort of boom, as six of country's 10 most-valued firms added a staggering Rs 1.62 lakh crore to their combined market capitalization (mcap) in the last week with Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries, Sunil Mittal-owned Bharti Airtel and HDFC Bank, emerging as biggest gainers. Airtel, Reliance, HDFC biggest gainers According to market data, the market cap of telecom giant Bharti Airtel increased by Rs 54,055.96 crore, jumping to Rs 11.04 lakh crore, while the valuation of Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Limited surged Rs 50,070.14 crore to Rs 19.82 lakh crore, and HDFC gained Rs 38,503.91 crore, taking its mcap to Rs 15.07 lakh crore. Similarly, the market cap of Narayana Murthy-led IT giant Infosys increased by Rs 8,433.06 crore, reaching Rs 6.73 lakh crore, ICICI Bank mcap surged by Rs 8,012.13 crore to Rs 10.18 lakh crore, while SBI gained Rs 3,212.86 crore taking its market valuation to Rs 7.10 lakh crore. TCS, Bajaj Finance among laggards Meanwhile. Bajaj Finance, Tata Group's Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)– India's largest IT services exporter, Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), and LIC, emerged as laggards during the trade week. The mcap of Bajaj Finance decreased by Rs 17,876.42 crore to Rs 5.62 lakh crore, while TCS fell Rs 4,613.06 crore to Rs 12.42 lakh crore. The market value of HUL declined by Rs 3,336.42 crore to Rs 5.41 lakh crore, and that of LIC now stands at Rs 5.92 lakh crore after losing Rs 1,106.88 crore. Reliance remains India's most-valued domestic company Notably, Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries remains India's most-valued domestic firm, followed by HDFC Bank, TCS, Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank, SBI, Infosys, LIC, Bajaj Finance, and Hindustan Unilever (HUL). The current market of Reliance Industries is estimated at Rs 19.82 lakh crore.


Mint
2 hours ago
- Mint
Hard-Hitting World Leaves EU Soft Power Stranded
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Last week, with uncertainty raging over whether the US would join Israel in striking Iran, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto delivered an elegy for a soft-power Europe that looked stranded in a hard-power world. 'We talk about Europe as if Europe counted for something,' he said. 'But its time is over, and I say it with sadness.' It turned out to be a fitting prelude to the weekend's events as Europe's last-ditch push for diplomacy with Tehran ended with American bombers striking Iranian nuclear sites. It speaks to wider anxiety over Europe's geopolitical future as drones and missiles continue to pound Ukraine, tensions rise in the Taiwan strait and the Middle East erupts. Yes, the combination of Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump has finally stung the European Union out of complacency, with the prospect of rearmament projects worth €800 billion ($920 billion) sending share prices soaring and industrial capacity whirring into life. German weapons maker Rheinmetall AG, for example, is outperforming tech darling Nvidia Corp. and taking Gucci parent Kering SA's place on the Euro Stoxx 50 index. Yet at the same time, we're a long way from a European defense worthy of the name. Even as military budgets flip to feast from famine, political willpower is showing signs of strain, as are supply chains after decades of undernourishment. Dependence on US security and Chinese components runs deep, making much-needed strategic autonomy look entirely theoretical. And fragmentation along national lines is hampering economies of scale: A new analysis by the Kiel Institute and Bruegel finds Europe has credibly boosted production of artillery shells and howitzers, while output of tanks and infantry vehicles still falls well short of matching Russia's — which would require a sixfold increase. Last week's Paris Air Show showed some of these mixed signals: As the Dassault Aviation SA Rafale circled the skies and Italy's Leonardo SpA talked up industry consolidation, grumbles from some on the sidelines suggested firm orders remain slow and joint platforms lack unity. Rheinmetall's announcement of a partnership with US venture-backed Anduril also raised eyebrows among those who would have preferred to see European startups benefit. A revolution is needed on several levels as North Atlantic Treaty Organization leaders prepare to meet in the Hague to agree on future spending — with 2% of gross domestic product becoming a bare minimum. With Goldman Sachs Group Inc. estimating that spending by euro members will reach 2.8% of GDP by 2027, fiscal divides are still too obvious between countries that aspire to boost their militaries and and those that can actually afford to, with Germany's new position as the world's fourth-biggest military spender pretty much in a league of its own. Incentives like an escape clause from EU fiscal rules and tapping a new €150 billion defense fund are only a start: More levers need to be pulled, from the European Investment Bank's balance sheet to a more defense-focused EU budget. Pension funds will also need to join the effort on a continent that tends to invest its savings abroad. And while defense is firmly within the remit of national member states, there needs to be a serious attempt at knocking down the barriers to a true continental market for materiel. Joint procurement is low and duplication high, with 17 battle tanks on offer in Europe versus one in the US, according to management consultancy firm BCG. Instead of waiting for a Yalta-style moment where leaders agree on how to divide and allocate responsibilities, strong players like France should lead by example with more support for pan-EU collaboration. More industry consolidation may help here, perhaps along the same lines as Franco-German plane-maker Airbus SE. But even more than Airbuses, Europe needs more tech-savvy Andurils of its own. The US currently outspends Europe on research and development by 10-fold; the future of warfare may belong as much to unmanned drones and artificial intelligence as B-52 bombers or F-16s. That means encouraging collaboration between defense and startups, promoting a strong research ecosystem and integrating capital markets. It's not too late to give the old continent a shot of strength. More from Bloomberg Opinion: This column reflects the personal views of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Lionel Laurent is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist writing about the future of money and the future of Europe. Previously, he was a reporter for Reuters and Forbes. More stories like this are available on