Metso boss impressed with staff’s attitude

Close to 30 people will lose their jobs when Metso (Matamata) permanently closes operations in December.

Metso has confirmed 27 permanent employees will be made redundant and a further 11 fixedterm employees will not have their contracts renewed. Three engineers will remain in Matamata in a ‘‘knowledge-transfer’’ capacity until they are made redundant in December 2014.

One global IT employee based in Matamata will keep his job.

Keith Cooke, managing director of 28 years, said the speed of the closure had come as a surprise to staff.

‘‘It was actually pretty quick to be honest,’’ he said.

‘‘We found out at the end of May that the company was under review again and that review took approximately a month.

‘‘At the end of June, we announced to staff that the company would be going through a restructuring process.

‘‘In July it was confirmed that operations would close.’’

Mr Cooke is one of the employees to be made redundant by the closure.

Metso is a global engineering and technology company, with employees in about 50 countries.

Metso (Matamata) specialises in vertical shaft impact crushing equipment and related services for both mining and construction.

Staff numbers in Matamata dropped from 133 in 2008 to just 31 by December last year, following the global recession and a move to manufacturing in India.

Matamata continued as a technical centre but Metso has now decided to base this work near its headquarters in Finland.

‘‘ This was a very strategic decision by Metso,’’ said Mr Cooke.

‘‘The team and the company here was well performing, it just didn’t fit in with the strategy.’’

Staff were understandably disappointed at the closure but were grateful they had a bit of time to sort things out, he said.

‘‘I am really, really impressed with the staff.

‘‘They have taken it as well as can be expected and have shown a lot of pride in how they have continued to work.’’

A human resources consultant has been hired to help employees transition into other employment.

‘‘At the end of the day, when we turn off the lights here, we want to be in a position where our employees have found work somewhere else,’’ Mr Cook said.

Metso has been a significant part of the business landscape in Matamata for many years.