Titan in loss of workers

An award-winning company near Kidderminster has axed 30 contractors' jobs because of "volatile" trading conditions.

Staff at Titan Steel Wheels Ltd, are also being trained to identify waste to help tighten budgets during the credit crunch.

Bosses hope the move to "lean manufacturing where people try to identify wastage" will help safeguard the 400 jobs at the company.

Managing director Mr Chris Akers said: "We feel we can ride out the storm. We have done our budgets in a prudent way."

He added: "The schedules and orders are going up and down on a daily basis. One day we lost an order for 500 and the next we picked up another for 300."

The company designs and manufactures rims and wheels for the construction and mining industries.