PRODUCTION jobs at a Radcliffe factory are to be axed after bosses decided to build a new manufacturing plant in the Far East.

No firm figure has been given by the management of Trumeter, based in Milltown Street, although managing director Mr Jeff Allen said around ten staff could be made redundant.

He admitted the news came as a shock to the 100-strong workforce at the firm, which has had a presence in Radcliffe for 66 years.

But he hopes that in the long-term, the company will create more jobs to offset the earlier losses.

Trumeter has announced plans for a new 30,000 sq ft factory in Penang, Malaysia, to meet increasing competition from Far Eastern competitors. After two years, the factory will have a 150-strong workforce.

The new plant will manufacture Trumeter's electrical, electronic and mechanical equipment, while its existing Radcliffe headquarters will be developed into a centre for technology.

Additionally, it will focus on manufacturing high volume, technically complex products in an automated environment. Trumeter has already invested more than £1 million in new plant and machinery.

Switch

Mr Allen said that some manufacturing would switch from Radcliffe to Malaysia, resulting in the job losses.

But the company stressed staff numbers would increase later as further investment in automated assembly, design and engineering was undertaken.

Although he would not be drawn on the exact number of job losses, Mr Allen said: "Manufacturing jobs will be reduced slightly. We are a caring company and plenty of people work here. We will do everything we can to defend any job."

With Trumeter looking to take on more staff in the long-term, Mr Allen said that ultimately there should be a small net gain in the workforce level.

"We are in a very competitive market and we have to be flexible to ensure the continued prosperity and growth of the company."

Trumeter, whose chairman is well-known local businessman Mr Peter Weidenbaum, enjoys buoyant exports, with the USA its core foreign market.

Around 70 per cent of its output goes overseas, selling to more than 40 countries.

The business, which has remained privately-owned, has won a clutch of British Safety Council awards over the years and hosted a visit by the then Prime Minister John Major in 1994.