Not good news!
80 workers redundant in 'bombshell' move at Mochdre car parts factoryBy Martin Williams, Business CorrespondentFeb 7 2013LESS than 24 hours after being told their jobs were under threat, 80 workers at a Mochdre car parts factory have been made redundant.
Staff at Quinton Hazell were given the bad news this morning.
Parent company Klarius, which employs 1,200 people, appointed administrators KPMG yesterday.
QH has been making water pumps for customers such as Opel, Jaguar and Nissan for over 60 years.
Klarius declined to comment, but North Wales Unite union regional officer John Hamilton said: "After a meeting with KPMG today, all 80 employees have been made redundant.
"We are very disappointed because the management, with the support of the workers and Unite, had turned this business around.
"It's because the parent company Klarius had cash flow problems and pressure from the banks.
"The staff are very frustrated and angry. This is a real body blow."
Speaking to the Daily Post yesterday morning, one QH employee described how the workforce were told the company was to go into administration, before being sent home.
"There has been little for us to do for weeks, and management have been coming here less and less frequently. Now we know why," they said.
The Klarius group was billed as the largest European manufacturer of aftermarket car parts and makes 90,000 parts from five manufacturing plants – three in the UK, one in Spain and one in Germany.
Its Mochdre facility played an important role as the centre for testing and manufacturing of water pumps and related engine ancillary equipment.
The site was opened by Eric Quinton Hazell in 1946, manufacturing ball joints and steering components, before being sold to Burmah Castrol in 1972.
At its peak in the 1950s and 60s, QH sold to more than 160 countries worldwide and was the largest independent supplier of automotive parts in Europe.
Mochdre councillor Adrian Tansley said losing it will be a “huge blow” for the village.
“This is a real bombshell, I thought they were on the up and up,” he said.
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