Fate of plant’s future ‘already been decided’

POLITICIANS in Llanelli argue the fate of the town’s Schaeffler plant has been decided after meeting bosses of the German automotive parts firm.

It follows the announcement that 220 jobs were under threat at the site in Bynea with ‘uncertainty surrounding Brexit’.

Labour representatives, MP Nia Griffith, AM Lee Waters and Bynea county councillor Deryk Cundy, met on Friday with senior vice-president Dr Thomas Cebulla and Greig Littlefair, Schaeffler’s UK managing director.

Ms Griffith said: “Very concerningly, in spite of our entreaties, it seems that their minds are made up. They stressed to us that the demand for the tappets being made in Llanelli has fallen, and is expected to drop drastically as the product comes to the end of its life and as demand for diesel engines reduces, and the new turbo charged product has not enjoyed the take-up that had been hoped for.”

Schaeffler, which supplies automotive and industrial parts all over the world, is to close its Llanelli plant, while retaining its biggest UK base in Sheffield.

The company said it wanted to relocate production to other plants in the US, China, South Korea and Germany.

This means that the Llanelli plant and the one in Plymouth will close within the next two years. The Llanelli plant, in Yspitty Road, Bynea, employs around 220 people.

Explaining the decision last week, the company’s regional CEO for Europe, Juergen Ziegler, said that while Brexit was not the only reason behind the decision to close two sites, it had “brought forward” their decision.