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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Ruwel survived its 2009 insolvency by restructuring rather than simply closing: investors backed a new company, the Geldern site retained a smaller European role, and high-volume production shifted to Asia. Unimicron later took full ownership, and in 2018 the business became Unimicron Germany GmbH.
Why did Ruwel enter insolvency?
Ruwel, a long-established printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturer based in Geldern, filed for insolvency in early February 2009 after orders fell amid the financial and automotive crisis. On May 1, insolvency administrator Horst Piepenburg took direct control. By then, 180 employees had been made redundant, leaving a workforce of 220.
The crisis put the business under pressure, but the eventual solution was not a straightforward liquidation. The aim was to preserve an operating core and customer service while changing the company’s cost structure and production footprint.
How was the business rescued?
In July and August 2009, investment firm BlueBay and an unnamed Asian partner explored forming RUWEL International GmbH, with a proposal to preserve approximately 220 jobs in Geldern. The plan faced a significant obstacle: about 200 unfair-dismissal actions had to be resolved, alongside the cost of funding severance. The contemporaneous rescue announcement did not identify the Asian partner.
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Employees contributed to the effort as well. They collected about half a million euros for a solidarity fund, which helped laid-off colleagues settle claims and helped make an investor solution possible. Ruwel announced on September 16, 2009, that it had been rescued.
The workforce figures describe different stages of the restructuring: the 220 employees remaining after redundancies and the roughly 220 Geldern jobs in the proposed new company. They should not be read as evidence that every pre-insolvency job was preserved.
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What changed at the Geldern plant?
The post-insolvency structure divided work between Germany and Asia instead of trying to maintain the former cost base in one location. Geldern retained European sales and technical support, developed and ramped up production, and served as a safety-capacity site. High-volume manufacturing moved to Asia for cost reasons.
A later industry account of Ruwel’s High Reliability Business Unit describes Geldern working with customers to develop processes, test products, and launch manufacturing. Once a process was stable, series production could take place in Kunshan, China. Geldern remained available as backup for demand spikes, handled low-volume work during product ramp-down, and supported continuity of supply.
That division offered customers European technical contact and a backup source alongside Asian production scale. In 2009, Ruwel marketing manager Frank Hoiboom told EDN that automotive partners valued having a strategic partner in Europe. EDN also reported that Ruwel had at least four months of production backlog at the time; this was a contemporaneous report, not a measure of later demand.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Who owned Ruwel after the rescue?
Unimicron’s corporate history records a strategic investment in RUWEL International in 2009, followed by its purchase of BlueBay’s shares in 2011, which made Unimicron the sole owner. In 2018, RUWEL International was fully integrated and renamed Unimicron Germany GmbH.
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The ownership sequence clarifies the link between the unnamed partner in the 2009 announcement and the business’s later history: Unimicron’s investment and eventual ownership are documented outcomes, but the contemporaneous announcement itself did not name the Asian partner.
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Ruwel’s insolvency and ownership timeline
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| Early February 2009 | Ruwel filed for insolvency after orders fell during the financial and automotive crisis. |
| May 1, 2009 | Horst Piepenburg took direct control as insolvency administrator. |
| July–August 2009 | BlueBay and an unnamed Asian partner explored a new company and the retention of Geldern jobs; employment claims and severance funding threatened the proposal. |
| September 16, 2009 | Ruwel announced that it had been rescued. |
| 2009 onward | The business operated with Geldern focused on European customer contact, engineering, ramp-up, and backup capacity, while high-volume manufacturing took place in Asia. |
| 2011 | Unimicron acquired BlueBay’s shares and became sole owner of RUWEL International. |
| 2018 | RUWEL International was integrated and renamed Unimicron Germany GmbH. |
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