Honeywell (Morris Township, New Jersey / USA; www.honeywell.com) has begun talks with workers at its MK Electric (Basildon / UK; www.mkelectric.com) manufacturing facility for plastic conduits and switches at St. Asaph / UK, with the loss of around 130 jobs. The company told Plasteurope.com it is proposing to transfer all activities to its other sites as part of a plan to consolidate core manufacturing processes at fewer locations.

Workers at the Welsh site said they were informed of the closure without prior notice. They said the move was especially unexpected, as they had been asked to work overtime due to a heavy order backlog. The trade union Unite – which gained prominence in its protracted 2013 labour dispute with Ineos (Rolle / Switzerland; www.ineos.com) – see Plasteurope.com of 28.10.2013 – called the closure plans a "huge blow" to the North Wales economy. The union said Honeywell's plans are to close the facility by the end of 2019.

A 45-day consultation between workers and unions is currently in progress, and the Welsh government has said it will work to support affected workers. Economy secretary Ken Skates said he wants to hold “urgent talks“ with Honeywell.