Germany’s automotive supply chain saw a new shock this week when Automotive Integrated Overhead Systems (Aios) — a supplier of roof linings and upper‑interior components for Mercedes‑Benz — announced an insolvency filing in self‑administration. The move affects about 300 employees across three sites and has prompted IG Metall to push for a social‑plan and, after a ballot, the option of an open‑ended strike. This matters for drivers, dealers and OEMs in Germany and Austria because shortages at a single single‑source supplier can delay high‑margin Mercedes models built in the region.
Aios filed the insolvency notice that was reported publicly on 23 October 2026; the company runs its main plant in Überherrn‑Altforweiler (Saarland) with roughly 240 employees and smaller sites in Bremen and Sindelfingen, bringing the total to about 300 staff. The group said the procedure should be handled in Eigenverwaltung (self‑administration), i.e. the management remains in place under court supervision.
Union action and timetable
The works and IG Metall moved quickly: members at the Überherrn site voted in a Urabstimmung (ballot) where 97% of IG Metall members backed the option of an unbounded strike — though IG Metall has not yet called members out. The union says strike readiness is the only lever to press for a social‑plan and binding protections for employees while the insolvency plays out.
The local court in Bremen set short deadlines: a preliminary insolvency supervisor was named and the company was given three months to present an insolvency plan, meaning management must show a viable rescue or restructure plan quickly or face tougher consequences for the sites and jobs. The court step confirms the filing but does not equal an immediate shutdown.
