Doomed Kingswinford brick site still open
A well-known brick factory is to remain in use for the near future despite operations being wound down at the long-running site.
Ibstock Brick announced the closure of its base in Tansey Green Road, Kingswinford, last July blaming the move on a decline in the demand for bricks.
But a small number of workers still remain at the site eight months after the announcement was first made and despite operations being scaled down.
And bosses today said the situation would continue for the time being as workers are needed to continue dispatching remaining products to customers and maintain site security.
A date has still to be set for when the lamdmark factory, a well-known sight in the area for its large stacks of neatly piled bricks, will close permanently.
Consultation took place with the 31 people employed at the site following the announcement the factory was to close.
Around 10 members of staff at the site were redeployed to other factories operated by Ibstock in the area.
The firm blamed closure of the factory on tough trading conditions.
Officials said the drop in business had been ongoing in recent years which had forced bosses to have a rethink on how the firm operated.
Group marketing manager for Ibstock Brick Andrew Halstead-Smith said today there was no closure date set for longstanding business.
"The staff which have been retained on site are continuing to work to dispatch remaining products to customers and maintain site security," he said.
"There is no further change to the situation at the present time."
The company was formed in the 1800s and has run the factory, in Kingswinford, for a number of years.
It is one of more than 20 bases the firm runs across the UK. The firm also has factories in Aldridge and Cannock.
When the closure of the Kinswinford base was announced in July, bosses said the aim was to maintain "optimum operational efficiency" at the remaining factories.
It was a sad day for the area. In Dudley alone there used to be 25 brick works but the heavy clay industry suffered a blow brought on by low levels of demand for building materials across the country and the burden of energy taxes and the volatility in wholesale energy prices.
This led to a pattern of closures. As well as the closure of the Ibstock Stourbridge Works, Baggeridge Sedgley Works shut in 2009 following a takeover by the Austrian company Wienerberger. Himley, again owned by Ibstock, closed around 10 years ago.
