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York International Ltd has announced that as part of a major strategic restructuring effort across Europe, Middle-East and Africa, it will phase out production at its Basildon, Essex, plant over a 12 month period and completely close the factory by the end of 2006. Manufacturing of its air conditioning chiller range will be consolidated into other existing York facilities.
Specifically, York International plans to:
• Phase out manufacturing of its air conditioning chiller range at the Basildon plant progressively through 2006, with the complete closure by the end of that year.
• Relocate the production of the current Basildon products to other York manufacturing locations in Europe together with the introduction of new products from York factories in the US.
• Relocate the remainder of the Basildon based workforce to a new office complex within the local area by the end of 2006.
York International has been associated with the Basildon area since it relocated its manufacturing there in 1961. The closure of the Basildon plant affects around 250 of the current 450 employee positions based at the Basildon site. Efforts will be made to redeploy staff where possible, both within York’s UK operations and outside the company.
“We recognise that these changes will be difficult for all those directly affected, especially after having been at this location for almost 45 years,” said Markus Gruen, Vice-President of York International’s Air Conditioning & Unitary Products business in Europe.
“Throughout that period, the Basildon workforce has worked hard and for many years has delivered good quality chillers for our customers. We have also been good neighbours to the people of Basildon and have valued the close relationship we have enjoyed with successive local authorities and the wider community. However, the intensity of competition in today’s UK and European HVAC market demands that we continually make our business more efficient in order to deliver the quality, value and service which customers expect of one of the world’s leading HVAC&R companies”.
The migration of production is expected to take around 12 months, starting as soon as possible on a phased basis. York’s priority is to ensure an excellent level of service to customers both during and after the transition. “Most importantly, we will work with our employees in order to minimise the impact this decision has on them and to ensure that as many as possible are able to find other employment opportunities in the local community,” stressed Markus Gruen.
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There is an obvious need for the industry to be more energy efficient and pay more attention to the ways in which energy is both used and wasted. Do you think we have the products on the market to meet our needs?
