A factory which manufactured car locks has closed its doors in Willenhall after a history spanning more than six decades.
A total of 320 jobs have gone at CE Marshall Ltd, during a two-year phased redundancy programme.
The last remaining Marshall plant in Church Street, which manufactured locks for vehicles and supplied big name car makers including Ford, has now been boarded up.
Its Swedish parent company Assa Abloy (UK) has transferred the business, which has operated in the town since 1942 and employed up to 500 in its heyday, to the Czech Republic. A team was sent to teach foreign workers the skills.
Assa Abloy (UK) business development director Paul Brown said: “This was always a scheduled closure which was announced in 2006. This has happened now and some staff have joined other Assa Abloy businesses.”
A total of 80 assembly workers were made redundant at the site in October, followed by the closure of the tool room and press shop in December and the remaining maintenance staff a few weeks ago.
Terry Plimmer, former tool room worker and T & G union branch secretary, today said: “The factory closed in February with just the maintenance chaps and directors left, but it’s all boarded up now.”
7 Comments
Another nail in the coffin for West Midlands manufacturing.
I hope the voters of Willenhall remember the complete indifference to the dismantling of it’s historical lock industry by the local Labour MP at the next General Election.
SINCERE CONDOLEANCES FROM HERE IN DRANCY ,WILLENHALL’S FRENCH TWIN TOWN.
SAME PROBLEM OVER HERE.MY FRENCH FIRM THAT WENT TO MALAYSIA OFFERED ME MY JOB THERE FOR 170EUROS A MONTH IE 150GBP !
ANOTHER FIRM AT HENIN-BEAUMONT HAS OFFERED PEOPLE 230EUROS A MONTH IN BRAZIL. EVIDENTLY WITHOUT THE PLANE FARE OR HOUSING.
I agree Jonah
Not just the voters in Willenhall lets hope the whole country wake up from New Labour induced slumber so we can put “Great” back into Britain.
Can you imagine a US company willingly “sending a team overseas to teach foreign workers their skills” in order that they can take their jobs?
Labour, and most recently this dithering leader, preside over the breakup of our manufacturing industry.
Plus their “friends” in the Unions seem helpless to do a thing about it - yet they will both continue to fund and still vote Labour at the next election?!?! Bizarre!
Such a shame..
I worked for this company a few years ago. A family member of mine had to go over to Prague to teach the workers over there how to do the job. She has worked in the Lock Industry for over 30 years and is finding it so hard to get a job as there are just a few factoy’s left and they are finding it hard too.
It’s a real shame to see places where my Grandparents worked and sweated being bulldozed down to make way for supermarkets.
No its not to make way for supermarkets, its to make way for more housing to house the illegal immigrants.
I my self worked at ce marshell for many years be fore i left to have my children ,also i worked at yale .willenhall is half the town it uesd to be it is such a shame to see it today