ArcelorMittal proposes to close its Tailored Blanks site in Birmingham due to considerably reduced EU demand for vehicles and lower levels of UK car production, a company spokesperson tells Kallanish.
A strategic review of the business has concluded the Birmingham site is not sustainable for the long term.
“I want to acknowledge the considerable efforts made by employees at the site in recent months, to secure the site’s future in a challenging market,” says Bertrand Jacquier, chief executive at ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks. “However, we have reached the very difficult decision to propose the closure of ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks’ site in Birmingham. Today marks the beginning of a consultation phase; we take consultation very seriously and will not make any final decisions until we have considered employees’ views.”
If the proposal to close the site is agreed, all employees will be helped with their employment search by specialist consultants, the spokesperson comments.
ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks is a leading supplier of laser-welded and unwelded blanks for the automotive industry worldwide. In Europe, it has sites in Belgium, France, Germany, Slovakia, Spain and the UK.
Adam Smith Germany
