Lafarge prepares to mothball Westbury factory, UK
Workers at Lafarge Cement Works in Westbury are preparing to bid goodbye to the firm which will shut down its manufacturing operations at the end of the week, reports the Wiltshire Times.
The factory, which includes two kilns and an adjoining chalk pit, will be mothballed because of the downturn in the construction industry. The move has meant the loss of more than 60 jobs.
Lafarge said it would operate the factory site as a logistics depot for the foreseeable future.
Equipment at the plant is being mothballed to allow cement production to start up again in the future, if cost and market conditions allow.
Lafarge Cement UK’s managing director, Erdogan Pekenc, said: "It was with deep regret that we are compelled to mothball cement production at Westbury Works. "However, the costs involved in the manufacture of cement continue to be volatile and high, at the same time as we are experiencing an ongoing downturn in the market. "To put this into context: current industry analysis suggests that the downturn will continue to worsen with positive growth only visible in 2012. Published under Cement News
