German solar glass maker GMB files for insolvency

German solar glass manufacturer Glasmanufaktur Brandenburg GmbH has filed for insolvency, affecting 247 employees at its Tschernitz facility, according to multiple media reports.

From pv magazine Germany

Solar glass maker GMB filed for insolvency this week, with 247 employees affected, multiple media outlets have reported, citing company management. While an official announcement has not yet been published, Brandenburg’s Ministry of Economic Affairs has confirmed the insolvency.

“I deeply regret GMB's decision. Ultimately, it is the general conditions in Europe that have led to the last European solar glass manufacturer filing for insolvency,” said State Economics Minister Daniel Keller (SPD). “This means that the EU is knowingly running into dependence on Chinese products.”

Keller described the development as “worrisome” and “negligent.” He added that it is regrettable, as the state of Brandenburg also provided support to the solar glass manufacturer.

Tschernitz-based GMB has kept employees on short-time work for several months. The Ministry of Economic Affairs said it had discussed various support options with the company’s works council and management, the Brandenburg Economic Development Agency, the Spree-Neiße district, and the Döbern-Land district office.

The ministry also noted that efforts to maintain operations at the site had been made. These included political initiatives aimed at lowering energy prices and securing a resilience bonus.

In February 2025, Minister Keller wrote to the German federal government and EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič to advocate for a resilience bonus to protect the domestic solar glass industry. He also called for an extension of the European Union’s anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures to counter subsidized Chinese imports. His predecessor had already made a similar request.

With the insolvency, the site now appears to be at an end.

“Under the current conditions, there is no market for solar glass from Tschernitz,” said Keller. “Neither the state of Brandenburg, nor the municipality or district, nor even the local EU representative can change that. At the same time, Borosil, the Indian shareholder of GMB, has demonstrated staying power in the hope that the framework conditions within the EU will change and that production will become economically viable again.”