Pipe and valve manufacturer Pegler has announced new proposals to close its Doncaster factory site, which it has used for more than 120 years.
As first reported in the Doncaster Free Press, the newly launched proposal revealed plans to cease manufacturing operations at company’s historic Doncaster site.
According to a spokesperson for the company, employees have already been informed of the proposed plans, and the company and unions are working closely with employees “to provide support at this unsettling time”.
Pegler was bought by Aalberts Integrated Piping Systems in 2005, and the new proposal could see manufacturing moved to other Aalberts locations. At the time of the acquisition, Pegler reportedly employed more than 500 people.
Despite the proposed closure, Aalberts has reassured customers that its “UK distribution centre, based at Manvers, will not be impacted by this process, and will continue to operate as normal. Sales will continue to be UK-based as will our business support functions such as finance, IT and HR.”
According to the BBC, John Dillon, general manager for Aalberts Integrated Piping Systems UK, clarified: “While no final decisions have been made, we want to be transparent and we must look at ways to remain competitive in global markets”.
Pegler was founded by Francis Pegler in 1899, and has been based in Doncaster’s St. Catherine’s Avenue since 1904. Reportedly, despite the 2005 acquisition, the company has continued to be known locally as “Pegler’s”, and the factory’s tall chimney has long been regarded as an iconic local landmark by residents.
The Pegler news marks the latest in a series of proposed closures to hit the KBB industry this year. Last month, Hotpoint revealed it was considering plans to close its appliance production facility in Bristol, putting roughly 150 jobs at risk of redundancy. Furthermore, April saw Nobia announcing plans to close its manufacturing facility in Halifax, which will impact approximately 60 employees.
Also in April, Staffordshire-based manufacturer Johnson Tiles announced it would be closing its production facility in Tunstall to move to an outsourced production model, describing it as “increasingly unsustainable” to manufacture tiles in the UK.
