STORY: Rising energy costs are causing increasing uncertainty among consumption-intensive companies in Germany. One of these companies is BÖGRA Technologie GmbH, which produces metal components primarily for the automotive industry in Solingen, North Rhine-Westphalia. The medium-sized company expects energy costs to be up to six times higher from October, says managing director Tobias Linser. Initially, they want to compensate for this with block production and short-time work. If that’s not enough, production will probably be relocated abroad. “At the moment we are already partly cooperating with an extended workbench in the Czech Republic and we also have strategic cooperation with an Indian company. If we saw by the end of the year that there was not a significant improvement, or even an extreme one, from our point of view necessary energy price cap, we would start with the relocation of production.” The recently presented aid from the third relief package would not go down well with classic medium-sized companies like his company, says Linser: “So we don’t feel seen or heard at this point, to be honest, and we hope that it will lead to a , as with our European neighbors, there will be a cap on gas and energy prices. Because only that can lead to equal treatment and also to planning security that would motivate us as a medium-sized company to continue producing here at the location.” In view of skyrocketing energy costs, business associations are warning of a wave of bankruptcies in Germany. In a study by the industry association published on Wednesday According to the BDI, the current situation is a major challenge for 58 percent of the companies, for 34 percent it is about their existence. Almost every tenth company has already reduced or even interrupted production, according to the report. Almost every fourth company thinks considering or already in the process of relocating company shares or parts of production and jobs abroad.