Axe falls on 115 jobs

Up to 115 jobs are set to go later this year at a manufacturing firm in Lichfield.

Wavin UK, which owns Hepworth Building Products on Eastern Avenue, has announced the proposed closure of the site in the second half of this year, likely to be in July or August.

The firm, which acquired Hepworth in 2005, is the leading supplier of plastic pipe systems and solutions in Europe.

A statement from Wavin UK reveals it intends to transfer the injection moulding activities from Lichfield to its site in Doncaster, south Yorkshire."Approximately 115 employees at the Lichfield manufacturing site could potentially be affected by the transfer," said a spokesman for Wavin UK.

"Trade unions have been informed and formal consultation has started."

The statement said Wavin was aiming to reduce costs and increase customer service levels as it tried to optimise its hold in a competitive market.

"The proposed closure of the Lichfield site and the transfer of production to the plant in Doncaster is part of this process," it added.

"Wavin currently holds eight manufacturing sites in the UK and one in Ireland."

The spokesman added the Lichfield site is land-locked, which prevents further development and expansion at the Eastern Avenue site.

The site originates from 1974 when it was known as Ketch Plastics Ltd. In 1980 it was acquired by Hepworth, and in 1990 became Hepworth Building Products, which was acquired by Wavin in 2005.

Councillor David Smith, leader of Lichfield District Council, said the news was a blow, especially on the back of the job losses at GKN Sinter Metals last year.

"The loss of manufacturing jobs is something we all feel very concerned about," he said. "Although we are attracting hi-tech jobs into Lichfield, it is a shame it is at the expense of losing manufacturing jobs."

Last January, GKN, off Trent Valley Road, announced the closure of its factory with 170 job losses.

Mick Tuff, a full-time officer for the Amicus union, said the job losses had come as a shock. He said: "I will be working with members to get the best redundancy package we can. We are in a 90-day consultation period at the moment and there will be no redundancies during this time.

"We hope to get a phased shutdown so not all 115 people will be out of work on the same day.

"But it will be a lot of people in the job market."

By Faye Casey