Type
Closure
Country
United Kingdom
Region
Scotland; South Western Scotland; East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire Mainland
Location of affected unit(s)
Kilmarnock
Sector
Manufacturing
Repair And Installation Of Machinery And Equipment
Repair And Installation Of Machinery And Equipment
33.17 - Repair and maintenance of other transport equipment

100 jobs
Number of planned job losses
Job loss
Announcement Date
31 March 2020
Employment effect (start)
31 March 2020
Foreseen end date

Description

Wabtec, the US-based international train manufacturer, has announced that it will close its rail carriage refurbishment and repair site in Kilmarnock, Scotland, putting 100 jobs at risk of redundancy.

A spokesperson for the company said that all production would be conducted in the company’s other UK site in Doncaster, in the north of England, to simplify Wabtec’s operations. The spokesperson added that the company was committed to supporting the affected employees through the redundancy process.

A representative of the trade union Unite said that the decision to close the manufacturing site was premature and called on the company to work with the union and the Scottish Government to keep the site open.

Wabtec Corporation is a company formed by the merger of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company and Motive Power Industries Corporation in 1999. It is currently a leading supplier of freight car and locomotive products.


Sources

Citation

Eurofound (2020), Wabtec Corporation, Closure in United Kingdom, factsheet number 100235, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/100235.