Weir announces consultation on closing historic manufacturing site in Todmorden

In a statement on their website, Weir has announced plans to review its capacity across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and has begun a consultation with staff on closing its Todmorden manufacturing site.

The Weir Group's Todmorden site has been an ironworks since the late 1800s, and the company invested more than £5m in a foundry extension just over a decade ago.

The firm’s statement says: “A recent review of the Minerals Division EMEA region has highlighted significant overcapacity, particularly at the Todmorden plant. This issue is compounded by limited current demand and modest projected growth in the UK and European domestic markets traditionally served by the facility. The Minerals Division’s key growth markets within EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) for mining future facing commodities such as copper are mostly located in Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

“The proposal also includes plans to invest in a new engineering, technology, and sales and service centre nearby. This new facility will consolidate the operations of the Division’s existing Rochdale service centre, with the unaffected roles from Todmorden, on a new modern site.

“If implemented, the proposal would result in the closure of the Todmorden plant by the end of 2025 with production being relocated to other facilities in the EMEA region, including to the Division’s South African foundries in Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg. Should this proceed, Weir is committed to minimising redundancies and providing robust support to affected colleagues during the transition.”

Tyler Hanley, Todmorden Town Councillor, said: “I am absolutely devastated for all the employees that are affected, and for their families.

“Most of us in Todmorden will know someone who works at Weir and so its loss will be felt hard.

“Factories across the country have been saved from closure before.

“This is an opportunity for the government to step in, save Weir’s future in Todmorden and ultimately back decent British jobs.”