Local representatives gloomy after factory meeting
The fate of Llanelli’s Schaeffler plant in Bynea seems to have been decided, Llanelli’s local Labour representatives concluded after meeting the management of the German manufacturing firm in an early morning meeting in the town on Friday (9th November 2018).
Llanelli MP Nia Griffith, Assembly Member Lee Waters and Bynea Councillor Deryk Cundy met with Senior Vice President Dr Thomas Cebulla and Greig Littlefair, Schaeffler’s UK managing director, to discuss this week’s announcement that 220 jobs were under threat at the old INA Bearings plant.
“Very concerningly, in spite of our entreaties, it seems that their minds are made up,” Nia Griffith MP said.
Ms Griffith added:
“They stressed to us that the demand for the tappets being made in Llanelli has fallen, and is expected to drop drastically as the product comes to the end of it’s life and as demand for diesel engines reduces, and the new turbo charged product has not enjoyed the take up that had been hoped for.”
Lee Waters AM said:
“The managers told us that Schaeffler is a very big global organisation with 72 factories worldwide and that the Llanelli closure is part of a global consolidation. They said it was no reflection on Llanelli workforce but a reaction to the change in demand for the product made in Bynea.”
Deryk Cundy, the Councillor for the Bynea ward of Llanelli where the plant is based, said:
“We told them that we will do all we can to work with the Welsh Government and Carmarthenshire County Council to offer help, if that would make a difference, but we were not encouraged by their response. It seems that their minds are made up.”
The Schaeffler executives stressed that Brexit was a consideration but not the decisive factor in this decision, pointing out that “we are a global business and global businesses want open borders and open trade.”
They said Schaeffler had brought forward plans to consolidate their sites because of the uncertainty of the Brexit process.
Llanelli’s MP and AM have both called for the UK Government to prioritise giving business certainty in the Brexit negotiations.
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