Up to 30 jobs are to be lost at one of Waterford's biggest employers, it was announced yesterday.
Honeywell, which manufactures parts for aircraft engines, is to reduce the workforce at one of its four plants in the city by between 25 and 30 because of rising production costs and reduced demand.
The company employs 1,000 people in Ireland, 900 of them at its four business units in Waterford. It has 167 staff at its engines, systems and services facility, the unit affected by the lay-offs, at the IDA industrial park on the Cork Road.
Mr Jim Collins, the general manager of the facility, said the staff cuts were necessary to maximise the prospects of Honeywell's continued success in Waterford and to safeguard the job security of those remaining with the company.
The decision was made in response to a number of factors, including a forecast reduction in demand for its products in 2002 and the need to reduce operating costs to ensure continued competitiveness, he said. The company planned to outsource small-blade and vane polishing as part of the move.
In a statement, the company said the lay-offs would occur between November this year and January 2002 and there were no plans for any further reduction in the workforce.
