UK-based Stuart Crystal is to close its 32-year-old plant at Pengam, South Wales, UK, to concentrate crystal production at its headquarters in the town of Stourbridge in the West Midlands region of Br…
UK-based Stuart Crystal is to close its 32-year-old plant at Pengam, South Wales, UK, to concentrate crystal production at its headquarters in the town of Stourbridge in the West Midlands region of Britain. The company, taken over by Anglo-Irish group Waterford Wedgwood in 1995, has appointed a local employment consultancy to help the 82 staff losing their jobs with careers and training advice. A small number of employees, about 10, were expected to be offered the opportunity to transfer to the Stourbridge factory. Crystal production is scheduled to begin at the West Midlands headquarters from 6 May. The Pengam plant carried out only part of the manufacturing process which had to be completed in the Stourbridge factory. It had taken the company 18 months to upgrade the Stourbridge plant, at a cost of some UK 2 million, ready to take over the Pengam production. Stuart“s managing director, Mr. Rogers, said that the investment included cutting and blowing equipment and “relaying out the flow of work”. He stressed that Stuart had “aggressive plans over the next three years. “Our objective is to get the gross margins up to Waterford Wedgwood“s level”, he said. Waterford Wedgwood paid UK 4.24 million for the 112-year-old privately controlled Stourbridge company.