Managing a Sensitive European Site Closure

Challenge

A leading American multinational corporation, one of the world’s largest suppliers of industrial and environmental machinery, faced a significant market downturn that required the closure of a European factory—impacting nearly 100 employees. The company needed a communications strategy to announce the closure while minimizing reputational risk and containing coverage to local media.

Solution

Members of our team helped established a dedicated crisis management center and developed a comprehensive communications plan to ensure transparency while maintaining control of the narrative.

Key actions included:

Crafting key messages, Q&As, and media materials tailored for regional and national audiences.

Providing message and media training for local managers and the regional spokesperson.

Actively monitoring traditional and social media to track sentiment and correct misinformation.

Conducting proactive outreach with media and local officials to defuse potential conflicts and preserve relationships with community leaders and politicians.

Results

The strategy achieved exceptional containment and credibility:

Only a few regional outlets covered the closure, with no national media attention.

Through proactive communication and intelligence gathering, the team anticipated inquiries from the French Minister of Economy’s office and ensured consistent, accurate responses from Minister Macron’s team.

The client later engaged us to develop a company-wide crisis preparedness program, including risk assessments, escalation procedures, and comprehensive crisis communication playbooks.