TOPSHOT - An employee works at the production site of the Samson group specialized in control valve engineering in Offenbach, western Germany, on June 10, 2026. The Samson group, which manufactures valves for the industry, will see around 450 of its roughly 2,000 employees in Germany retire within seven to eight years. "We already have to think about how to replace them and with what qualifications," explains its HR director, Frank Oppenlaender. The company has invested more than 500 million euros in a new factory in Offenbach and is actively looking for "machinists, mechatronics technicians and electronics technicians," profiles that are hard to find. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP via Getty Images) / TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY Jean-Philippe LACOUR