Tata to shut four plants in West Midlands
Steel giant Tata today announced it will close four sites in the West Midlands, with the loss of 120 jobs.
Moves to shut sites in Cradley, Dudley, Kingswinford and Wombourne are part of a shake-up that will see 900 jobs go nationwide.
The company's operation in Park Road, Cradley, will be moved to the Steelpark site in Wednesfield, due to benefit from an £8 million investment.
Tata says the restructuring is intended to make it more competitive as it copes with a steel market that has slumped by nearly a third in the last five years.
A total of 107 jobs will be lost with the closure of the steel processing centres in Wombourne, Dudley and Kingswinford, all former Corus sites.
Another 13 jobs are being lost at other sites in the Midlands.
Workers from the Cradley site will be transferred to the Steelpark, the headquarters of the company's distribution business.
Bosses say the site will become a "new centre of excellence in the UK for decoiling and plate profiling".
Tata says demand for steel is down 30 per cent from the peak levels of 2007 and shows little sign of recovery.
Paul Steele, managing director for distribution in the UK & Ireland, said: "We realise this proposal will be of great concern to our employees. A consultation process will start as soon as possible." He added: "The company will do everything it can to assist those people leaving the business."
