80 jobs axed after engineering company enters administration

EIGHTY workers at a Worcestershire engineering company are to be made redundant after the firm lapsed into administration.

Employees at the company, formerly known as Froude Hofmann, had been braced for the job losses last week after the company said it intended to appoint administrators.

That process was confirmed yesterday when Andy Turpin and Matt Hardy, both of Poppleton & Appleby were appointed administrators of the Worcester-based business.

They said their hopes were to find a buyer for the company or parts of it.

However, they told workers today that job losses were inevitable while that process continued.

Mr Turpin said: “We are extending all our efforts to try to find a purchaser for the company and we have had interest locally, nationally and globally. We are vigorously pursuing those possibilities.
 
“But such is the position of the company that we have had no choice but to make around 80 workers redundant. We are liaising with the Department of Work and Pensions and have met with (Worcester) MP Robin Walker to do everything we can to help the staff find new work.”

Froude Hofmann, which can trace back its roots to Worcester back to 1903, has suffered a period of sustained losses.

The firm, which designs, manufactures and supplies an extensive range of engine testing systems in the automotive, gas turbine, marine and industrial market, employs approximately 100 members of staff.