Leather chemical makers Clariant have announced that as part of their ‘Transformation Program’, manufacturing activities at the locations Beverley and Selby in the UK will be consolidated into one location.
Manufacturing in Beverley (formerly Hodgsons Chemicals) will discontinue as of the end of 2005. Clariant also announced that the azo facility in Chemiepark Knapsack, Germany, would also close at the end of 2005.
Production of speciality chemicals for the leather industry will be concentrated at Selby. The manufacturing site in Beverley will be closed. Twenty-four manufacturing jobs will be transferred from Beverley to Selby. By the end of 2005, 120 jobs will be lost at the Beverley site.
Clariant will increase investment in the Selby plant and transform it into a ‘Centre of Excellence’ for phenol chemistry. Clariant currently employ 126 people at Selby.
In addition, Clariant announced the conclusion of production of azo pigments in Knapsack near Cologne as of the end of 2005. 71 employees will be affected. The goal of these measures is to increase capacity at the remaining azo facilities and make Clariant more competitive.
Clariant are engaged with employee representatives in finding an appropriate support package for the affected employees at the Beverley and Knapsack locations.
