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Firm fails to beat recession

16:04, 19 February 2010

updated: 16:04, 19 February 2010

HBC has announced it is to cut half of its workforce
HBC has announced it is to cut half of its workforce

Workers at a Sheppey firm who have already faced two rounds of redundancy have been told this week the company will be closing.

The work force at HBC Engineering Solutions, which was placed into administration last year, was told on Tuesday the company is going into “wind down”.

Five out of the 31 employees left at the company have been made redundant with immediate effect, and a spokesman said there will definitely be further redundancies.

We reported in November last year how HBC, in Power Station Road, Halfway, was placed into administrative receivership and about 40 staff members were told they had lost their jobs.

The company, which specialises in plastic injection moulding and metal components, had previously been forced to cut between 50 and 60 jobs from its 108-strong workforce in September.

The firm was formed in 2003 after a management buy-out from former German owner Weidmuller.

The Times Guardian reported last year how the company had experienced a significant decline in turnover.

At the time, a spokesman said it was confident it would survive, but would need to restructure the business and reduce the number of employees.

The company will be closing because the last potential purchaser of the business could not complete the deal.

A spokesman for receiver Grant Thornton UK LLP said: “The receivers will be talking to all the customers who have work in progress.”

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