Linde's Basingstoke facility

KION, the parent company of manufacturer Linde, is expected to release a statement soon after media reports of the closure of the Linde Material Handling plant in Basingstoke.

The Basingstoke Gazette has reported that about 350 people at the Linde plant in Houndmills will lose their jobs when the company closes its Basingstoke production line in response to a 50% drop in demand due to the recession.

Staff at the Basingstoke facility, the area's largest employer, were told their fate earlier this week.

They were told Linde will continue to have a presence in Basingstoke as sales and marketing, after-sales and administration will remain, meaning 200 of the site's 550 staff will keep their jobs.

The Basingstoke production will be transferred to the company's larger factories across Europe.

Linde's Wade Road parts organisation, which employs about 30 people, will stay, according to the Gazette.

Linde, which makes forklifts and warehouse handling equipment, has been in Basingstoke since 1949 and was originally known as Lansing Bagnall.

The company has begun a 90-day consultation with unions and employees and expects to continue production in Basingstoke until mid 2010.

Late last year, Forkliftaction.com's Bill Redmond reported that Linde has found the going tough in the UK market for the past seven years, racking up accumulated pre-tax losses of over GBP20 million (USD30.9 million).

He questioned the viability of the Basingstoke facility, reporting plans to cut another 10% of its labour force (Forkliftaction.com News #388).