Tyre factory set to shut with 350 job losses

AWILTSHIRE town has been rocked by the announcement that one of its biggest employers is set to close next year with the loss of 350 jobs.

The Cooper Tires factory on Bath Road in Melksham will close by the end of 2023, it was announced on Thursday.

Gavin Champion, HR director at the Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, Europe, said: “It is with deep sadness that we have announced our intention to begin a consultation process on the proposed closure of our tyre production facility based at Melksham.

“Our Melksham site has struggled to be competitive for some considerable time and everyone involved has worked extremely hard to keep operations going for as long as possible.

“However, this has become increasingly challenging in the current business environment.

“We would like to confirm that these proposals are subject to consultation with relevant employee representative bodies, and we remain fully committed to act responsibly and fairly, and to provide appropriate support for everyone affected,” he added.

The company previously cut more than 300 roles in 2019, outsourcing the work to Serbia. That came after Cooper staff from Wiltshire travelled to Serbia to train staff at the purposebuilt factory.

Cooper bought the Melksham tyre business in 1997 from what was then known as Avon Rubber.

The company – now known as Avon Protection – had started producing bicycle tyres in Melksham in 1900 but exited the tyre industry in 1997 and has gone from strength to strength as a specialist manufacturer of respiratory protection equipment such as gas masks for military and law enforcement personnel.