Fears for 185 jobs over plans to shut Gloucestershire engineering site

Published by

Nicky Godding

SKF proposes to close its Stonehouse site with the possible loss of more than 180 jobs

More than 180 jobs could go as engineering firm proposes closure of Gloucestershire site

SKF has announced it plans to shut its bearing manufacturing site in Stonehouse which could result in the loss of 185 jobs.

It said it plans to consolidate its aerospace engineering footprint in Europe and it will now enter into a period of consultation with employee representatives.

Should the proposal be confirmed, manufacturing at the site in Stonehouse will cease by December 31, 2021, with production moved to its sites in Italy and France.

Bernd Stephan, President, Automotive and Aerospace, said: “This consolidation is necessary in order to secure a continued competitive offering for the Aerospace industry, as it shifts away from legacy engines and aircraft to more modern ones.

“We will be able to make better use of more modern machines and manufacturing technologies at our sites in other parts of Europe.”

Stonehouse currently employs approximately 185 people. Should the proposal be confirmed, the Group said it will then work with employees and their representatives to offer support services together with redundancy packages to ensure the continued operations at the site for the next three years.

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.