SMA Solar Technology AG has announced plans to further reduce its global workforce by around 350, as it expands its restructuring and transformation program. This will impact around 300 jobs within its home base of Germany and an additional 50 full-time positions across its global operations by the end of 2026.
The German solar PV inverter and battery storage manufacturer had announced the restructuring program a year ago, in September 2024 (see SMA Solar Announces Company-Wide Restructuring & Job Cuts).
It now plans to extend this program, given the persistent weak demand and ‘immense’ price pressure in its Home & Business Solutions (HBS) division. In September 2025, SMA lowered its 2025 financial outlook, expecting a drop in the HBS segment’s performance in Q3 while the Large-Scale & Project Solutions business drives its business (see SMA Solar Lowers 2025 Forecast Amid Restructuring Plans).
SMA CFO Kaveh Rouhi shared, “While the business with solutions for large-scale power plants is developing very well and we have been able to expand our market position, we are currently experiencing a sharp decline in new installations in the home sector compared to 2024 – particularly in our core market, Germany.”
“The goal of the expanded restructuring and transformation is to put the Home & Business Solutions division back on a clear path to success and to secure the company's overall performance through balanced development of both divisions,” added Rouhi.
Going forward, its strategy will be to focus ‘even more strongly’ on its core competencies, including cybersecurity and quality, while withdrawing from unprofitable markets.
The US is unlikely to be on this list, as SMA recently announced its return to manufacturing in the US, after almost a decade, in collaboration with Create Energy to produce string inverters in the country (see German Inverter Maker SMA Solar Returns To US Manufacturing).
The management at SMA sees 3 main opportunities to save costs in the Home & Business Solutions segment: optimize R&D spending by adjusting product portfolio and greater use of its existing competence center in India; adjusting its production strategy with a view towards greater internationalization while expanding its own production capacities in Poland; and working on an efficient service strategy with improved service times, reduced costs, and adjusted prices.
Additionally, it will further streamline its corporate center and reduce operating costs.
“Our original savings target is within reach, and we've positioned the company to be leaner, more efficient, and more effective,” explained SMA CTO/COO Olaf Heyden. “However, our journey is far from over. Given the current situation, it's imperative we make further adjustments to our cost base and business model. We will adjust our product portfolio, further streamline and internationalize our production, and realize additional cost savings potential by the end of 2027.”
