Forklift News - Konecranes streamlines UK business

More employees are expected to lose jobs after Konecranes merger in the UK.

Konecranes has merged its UK-based companies into a new and larger company called Konecranes UK Limited.

Konecranes UK Limited managing director Bill Maxwell says the merger consolidates the experience and know-how of Konecranes Service Ltd, Konecranes (UK) Ltd and Morris Material Handling under the Konecranes brand.

"This will make it easier for all our UK customers to benefit from Konecranes Group’s local presence and global expertise, and to improve the efficiency and productivity of their own operations," Maxwell says.

The merger results in the closure of Morris Material Handling’s Loughborough crane manufacturing site, affecting 90 employees. Future crane manufacturing will be combined in Konecranes (UK) Ltd’s facility in East Kilbride, Scotland.

There are a total of 450 people working in the three UK-based companies. Another 25 employees are expected to lose their jobs.

Konecranes spokeswoman Anci Sandås says the merger will result in "significant back-office and overhead savings", although she won’t quantify the savings.

Konecranes Service Ltd, headquartered in West Bromwich, is the UK’s largest crane maintenance company, with 10 service branches and 140 fully-trained technicians in the UK.

Konecranes (UK) Ltd, Konecranes Group’s first acquisition in the UK market in 1989, has a large crane manufacturing facility in East Kilbride, Scotland. It produces process and standard cranes for customers worldwide.

Morris Material Handling, which manufactured cranes at the Loughborough factory, was acquired by Konecranes in 2005 and run as a separate brand until the third quarter of 2009. It has 14 branches in the UK and 90 technicians.

Konecranes Group reported sales of EUR2.103 billion (USD3.132 billion) in 2008. It employs 9,700 people at 485 locations in 43 countries.

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