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The Freescale plant in East Kilbride<p><b>Brick firm set to axe 54 staff</b><p>An English brick firm is to axe its only Scots factory with the loss of 54 jobs.<br>Ibstock Scottish Brick at Tannochside, Uddingston, has announced production workers are to made redundant next month, although some sales staff will be retained.<br>Bosses in Leicester blame the closure on a drop in demand but will continue to operate more than 20 other manufacturing sites across Britain.<br>Stunned workers say manufacturing will stop on June 6 and hit out at the decision: 'The company decided it was better to close the Scottish branch and hand all the orders from Uddingston to the factories down south helping them out at the expense of their Scottish counterparts.'<br>Company bosses refuse to discuss the closure and have ordered staff not to talk to the media. But a prepared statement quotes managing director Wayne Sheppard as saying: 'Due to the ongoing slowdown in the demand for bricks across the UK Ibstock Brick has announced the proposed closure of its Tannochside factory.'
The Freescale plant in East Kilbride

Brick firm set to axe 54 staff

An English brick firm is to axe its only Scots factory with the loss of 54 jobs.
Ibstock Scottish Brick at Tannochside, Uddingston, has announced production workers are to made redundant next month, although some sales staff will be retained.
Bosses in Leicester blame the closure on a drop in demand but will continue to operate more than 20 other manufacturing sites across Britain.
Stunned workers say manufacturing will stop on June 6 and hit out at the decision: 'The company decided it was better to close the Scottish branch and hand all the orders from Uddingston to the factories down south helping them out at the expense of their Scottish counterparts.'
Company bosses refuse to discuss the closure and have ordered staff not to talk to the media. But a prepared statement quotes managing director Wayne Sheppard as saying: 'Due to the ongoing slowdown in the demand for bricks across the UK Ibstock Brick has announced the proposed closure of its Tannochside factory.'

 

by Gordon Thomson

ALMOST 900 Lanarkshire jobs are at risk after attempts to sell the Freescale microchip plant in East Kilbride looked doomed today.

Three foreign rivals were interested in a multi-million pound buy-out but top level negotiations with each potential purchaser collapsed in recent weeks, the Evening Times can reveal.

The triple blow comes eight months after Freescale bosses hired international specialists to try to find a buyer for the stricken semiconductor plant which employs more than 1000 workers.

Agents launched a global search in September following three months of speculation that the 25-acre site was to be closed down, and Freescale chiefs admit there had been "a few" interested parties.

The Evening Times understands that three major producers had been in talks after representatives had carried out detailed inspections of the site with workers told not to approach or speak to them.

Today the chip giant pledged to continue the search for a buyer after telling the workforce yesterday that three options were to be considered in the coming weeks.

Executives at Freescale HQ in Texas still want to sell the site but they are also looking at the possibility of continuing production in East Kilbride - even though demand for the plant's microchips is falling.

The chips are used in a number of applications including car computerised management systems and air bags.

But the technology used has been overtaken by rivals who are producing more sophisticated chips with the capability of performing more functions.

However, there's spare capacity at East Kilbride and that could be offered to a rival who may be interested in sub-contracting work to the stricken workforce. All three options are to be explored in joint talks between local managers at staff forums.

Talks will continue "for weeks rather than months," said a spokeswoman. If a survival plan isn't agreed then Freescale is expected to end production in East Kilbride after 39 years. The spokeswoman said: "Given that a sale appears unlikely, the company will now begin a formal consultation process with employees to consider further options and to seek their views on the future of the factory."

A sale remains the favoured option since executives in Texas are not thought to be willing to invest the substantial sums needed in new technologies, although the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise could be asked to come up with a multi-million pound grant deal.

Closure will mean the loss of 750 production jobs and another 100 in support functions. Just 150 research and development workers and sales staff would be retained.

First Minister Alex Salmond had predicted last summer there was little hope of a sale but insisted that his officials were working with Freescale to "retain and protect" the workforce.

Lanarkshire is already reeling from three other job blows in the past fortnight which will result in the loss of more than 1300 other workers.

Brick manufacturer Ibstock is axing its only Scottish production unit at Uddingston next month with the loss of 54 jobs.

Goldfish credit card's call centre is set to make 900 staff redundant while 360 workers at electronics firm JVC will be axed at its East Kilbride site.

Publication date 09/05/08
Posted by: Sydney Meriwether, Glasgow on 11:17am Fri 9 May 08
So that's 900 jobs going from Cumbernauld (Barclaycard) and now 900 more jobs likely to go from East Kilbride; that's 1800 jobs from the Glasgow metropolitan area... all I can say is thank goodness our civic leaders have been able to attract flagship regeneration projects like Elphinstone Place, or we really would be in trouble!
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Posted by: Sydney Meriwether, Glasgow on 12:21pm Fri 9 May 08
...ooops forgot to mention that Elphinstone Place has been 'delayed' a year and industry experts believe it will now never be built according to the original plan.
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Posted by: Rab Jones, Glasgow on 12:27pm Fri 9 May 08
This is why young Scots leave for England in their droves.

There's no decent jobs up here.

My brother in law passed his degree, but left for Birmingham because he couldn't find work.

Apart from Glasgow and Edinburgh, there's nothing in Scotland as far as job opportunities are concerned.
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Posted by: calamero, Glasgow on 12:52pm Fri 9 May 08
"But the technology used has been overtaken by rivals who are producing more sophisticated chips with the capability of performing more functions"

I am sure that they have research and development that evolves their products to compete. The issue is that it is cheaper in the likes of China and they want to calculate the tipping point when the cheaper site's profits would cover the closure costs of East Klbride. Don't forget that it was only sold / spun off a couple of years ago by Motorola as they didn't like the figures on the balance sheet.

Pretty sad after just short of 40 years in the town.
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Posted by: roor06, glasgow on 1:13pm Fri 9 May 08
This always seem to happen in Cumbernauld ...
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Posted by: martin, Glasgow on 1:42pm Fri 9 May 08
roor06 wrote:
This always seem to happen in Cumbernauld ...
This is happening in East Kilbride and will have a significant affect on the local economy when the plant does eventually close. By keeping the R&D facility at the site they will probably not have to pay for the clean up and removal of all of the toxic substances used in the manufacturing process.
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Posted by: Scott, Airdrie on 2:04pm Fri 9 May 08
Sydney Meriwether wrote:
So that's 900 jobs going from Cumbernauld (Barclaycard) and now 900 more jobs likely to go from East Kilbride; that's 1800 jobs from the Glasgow metropolitan area... all I can say is thank goodness our civic leaders have been able to attract flagship regeneration projects like Elphinstone Place, or we really would be in trouble!
Cumbernauld is in North Lanarkshire; East Kilbride is in South Lanarkshire.

Go and find your Glasgow Council-bashing fix somewhere else, you tedious, boring individual.

Having an online conversation with yourself under the pretext of "forgetting" something you're clearly well aware of is a new low, even for you.

Are you so desperate for attention you have to give it to yourself if no-one else does?

Get a life and do something positive instead of sitting at your keyboard moaning.
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Posted by: roor06, glasgow on 2:41pm Fri 9 May 08
Dear syd ...
Your comments are appreciated ...
Dont let the ******** grind you down ...
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Posted by: Sydney Meriwether, Glasgow on 2:50pm Fri 9 May 08
Scott wrote:
Sydney Meriwether wrote:
So that's 900 jobs going from Cumbernauld (Barclaycard) and now 900 more jobs likely to go from East Kilbride; that's 1800 jobs from the Glasgow metropolitan area... all I can say is thank goodness our civic leaders have been able to attract flagship regeneration projects like Elphinstone Place, or we really would be in trouble!
Cumbernauld is in North Lanarkshire; East Kilbride is in South Lanarkshire.

Go and find your Glasgow Council-bashing fix somewhere else, you tedious, boring individual.

Having an online conversation with yourself under the pretext of "forgetting" something you're clearly well aware of is a new low, even for you.

Are you so desperate for attention you have to give it to yourself if no-one else does?

Get a life and do something positive instead of sitting at your keyboard moaning.
Thanks for your kind comments Scott, which I fully intend to take on board, however, may I be so kind as to point out in my own defence that I did write the Glasgow metropolitan area and in fact put it in bold, so that even the most high-maintenance individuals such as yourself could clearly make out... next time I'll use CAPITALS just to be sure. ;-)

...ooops forgot to mention: I'll take your avoidance of the issues that you are in full agreement with me that Elphinstone Place will never be built?
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Posted by: Sydney Meriwether, At home on 2:57pm Fri 9 May 08
roor06 wrote:
Dear syd ...
Your comments are appreciated ...
Dont let the ******** grind you down ...
Not in the slightest roor06, in fact I am positively blooming!
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Posted by: jimmyk, Glasgow on 3:12pm Fri 9 May 08
Scott wrote:
Sydney Meriwether wrote: So that's 900 jobs going from Cumbernauld (Barclaycard) and now 900 more jobs likely to go from East Kilbride; that's 1800 jobs from the Glasgow metropolitan area... all I can say is thank goodness our civic leaders have been able to attract flagship regeneration projects like Elphinstone Place, or we really would be in trouble!
Cumbernauld is in North Lanarkshire; East Kilbride is in South Lanarkshire. Go and find your Glasgow Council-bashing fix somewhere else, you tedious, boring individual. Having an online conversation with yourself under the pretext of "forgetting" something you're clearly well aware of is a new low, even for you. Are you so desperate for attention you have to give it to yourself if no-one else does? Get a life and do something positive instead of sitting at your keyboard moaning.
Scott,

Be careful now! Sydney will get his "frilly underwear" in a knot and will level at you some completely outrageous and hysterically funny "Graham Norton" like rant. Mmmm!
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Posted by: Ian, Glasgow on 4:31pm Fri 9 May 08
Sydney Meriwether wrote:
So that's 900 jobs going from Cumbernauld (Barclaycard) and now 900 more jobs likely to go from East Kilbride; that's 1800 jobs from the Glasgow metropolitan area... all I can say is thank goodness our civic leaders have been able to attract flagship regeneration projects like Elphinstone Place, or we really would be in trouble!
Sydney, this goes far wider than the 'Glasgow Metropolitan region' and well you know it.

The job losses in Cumbernauld, East Kilbride and Uddingston are all in Lanarkshire and therefore have nothing to do with Glasgow City Council.

The jobs lost are going to affect people right across the central belt - not just the west. The Goldfish and Carillion bases had a high number of people from West Lothian and Edinburgh working in them as well as Lanarkshire.

All the best for the staff affected, hopefully they'll secure work soon!
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Posted by: Bob Millar, Shawlands on 4:54pm Fri 9 May 08
calamero wrote:
"But the technology used has been overtaken by rivals who are producing more sophisticated chips with the capability of performing more functions" I am sure that they have research and development that evolves their products to compete. The issue is that it is cheaper in the likes of China and they want to calculate the tipping point when the cheaper site's profits would cover the closure costs of East Klbride. Don't forget that it was only sold / spun off a couple of years ago by Motorola as they didn't like the figures on the balance sheet. Pretty sad after just short of 40 years in the town.
From I've been told by 3 close friends at Freescale, the Fabs are very old and can't manufacture newer chips and the costs associated with modernising it are not feasible, particularly as production can take place at other more modern Freescale Fabs worldwide
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Posted by: Andrew on 6:22pm Fri 9 May 08
Sydney Meriwether wrote:
So that's 900 jobs going from Cumbernauld (Barclaycard) and now 900 more jobs likely to go from East Kilbride; that's 1800 jobs from the Glasgow metropolitan area... all I can say is thank goodness our civic leaders have been able to attract flagship regeneration projects like Elphinstone Place, or we really would be in trouble!
Greater Glasgow stretching from Larkhall to Loch Lomond, Kilbarchan to Castlecary is Scotland's economic heartland as well as home to almost 2 million of us. Divisive local government boundaries are irrelevant, Scott, in the face of severe job cutbacks liable to affect the dislocated world economy for the next 18 months. Time to concentrate together planning for a brighter future, I'm thinking.
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Posted by: ex labour voter, glasgow on 7:15pm Fri 9 May 08
Andrew wrote:
Sydney Meriwether wrote: So that's 900 jobs going from Cumbernauld (Barclaycard) and now 900 more jobs likely to go from East Kilbride; that's 1800 jobs from the Glasgow metropolitan area... all I can say is thank goodness our civic leaders have been able to attract flagship regeneration projects like Elphinstone Place, or we really would be in trouble!
Greater Glasgow stretching from Larkhall to Loch Lomond, Kilbarchan to Castlecary is Scotland's economic heartland as well as home to almost 2 million of us. Divisive local government boundaries are irrelevant, Scott, in the face of severe job cutbacks liable to affect the dislocated world economy for the next 18 months. Time to concentrate together planning for a brighter future, I'm thinking.
Well said Andrew. I will be voting for a brighter future by voting for the only party in Scotland that put the people first.
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Posted by: Joe Shmo, Glagow on 6:45pm Mon 12 May 08
oh the glesgy banter...
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