Germany: Vollert filed for insolvency at the Heilbronn District Court in July 2025. Just a few weeks before this filing, the company had secured two major new contracts, but was unable to utilise bank guarantees to fulfil these orders.
Founded in 1925, Vollert focuses on rail-based products such as shunting robots, traction modules, and transport carts for specialised cargo. In recent years, its shunting robots have been introduced in markets like Kazakhstan and Finland. The company also operates subsidiaries in Brazil, India, China, and the United States.
According to Vollert, the primary reason for insolvency was a decline in global demand across all sectors over the past 18 months, especially in precast concrete manufacturing. Additionally, unforeseen difficulties led to losses on a major project for an undisclosed client in the steel industry. Nevertheless, business operations are continuing without restriction, and employees’ salaries are secured for the next three months.
This move was not unexpected. The German Railway Industry Association VDB had warned as early as 2022 about the growing risk of bankruptcies among railway equipment manufacturers in Germany due to deteriorating market conditions. In the interim, several German companies have declared insolvency, including locomotive builder Schöma, tram manufacturer HeiterBlick, intermodal platform developer Helrom, as well as bogie manufacturer Transtec F&E Vetschau, which closed amid financial difficulties in 2023. The poor economic outlook and sector-specific crises have also forced companies like Alstom to optimise their German operations.
