Staff: We would have preferred to stay here
Muelink & Grol employees aren’t entirely happy about leaving for Assen, according to Tour Small. They realize that on economic grounds, a move might be wise, but they feel differently.

They just feel connected to the city and many of them will have to travel further. Moreover, they believe that it will be very difficult for Assen to quickly find temporary workers during periods of peak production. Groningen has a lot of young people (students).

Employees believe that management changes in recent years have weakened the relationship between management and the workplace. According to the employees, the management gets over the objections of the employees very easily.

Factories are moving out of town
With the departure of Muelink & Grol, another piece of urban industrial history is collapsing. Earlier this year, it was already decided that tobacco manufacturer Niemeyer would close its doors. This came after a long line of industrial companies left or closed. Think Nelf paint factory, Suiker Unie factory, and specialty printing company Lijnco. Groningen has essentially become a powerful service and government city and the number of people working in an urban industrial company is decreasing further.