80 more jobs to go as Swindon printing firm shuts
11:30am Wednesday 23rd January 2013 in News By David Wiles
AGI printers in Kembrey Park, which is to shut with the loss of about 80 jobs
ABOUT 80 more jobs are set to go in Swindon with the closure of a media printers that produces covers and booklets for CDs and DVDs.
The 75 to 80 staff at AGI Shorewood, based at Kembrey Park Industrial Estate, have received letters from the firm detailing the redundancy package and giving notice of the intent to close by the end of February.
The factory operation, which formerly ran under the name AGI World, is thought to have started to supply the record firm EMI when it had a presence in Swindon.
In recent years it has made the booklets and covers for CDs by the likes of boyband JLS, and pop divas Rihanna and Leona Lewis.
The firm also prints commercial literature.
One employee, who has been involved with the firm for 15 years, said the move would hit about 50 production workers and about 25 admin workers.
And he said he feared that they would not be able to get another job in printing as it was a dying industry.
He said: “People are pretty stunned. With the print industry they’re not going to go back into print.
“A lot of the younger people there, they have young families, I think they’re going to find it quite hard to get back into work.
“Certainly with this industry, I think it’s going to be quite a tough time for them. HMV are gone, Blockbusters are gone.
“We weren’t actually one of their suppliers but being involved in the music and DVD industry it shows the state of the trade really because they were our market.”
The man, who did not want to be named, said before Christmas the firm announced a 30-day public consultation on proposals to close the factory.
That finished this week after being extended due to the snow.
He said he was shocked when the closure was announced as he thought the factory would stay in operation until the unit lease ends in 2015.
He said the firm had another factory, in Slough, in Berkshire, which focused on printing specialist packaging, such as display boxes for DVDs in shops. And he understood that was staying open as it was generating more income.
He said: “Year-on-year sales revenue has been reduced just because fewer people are calling on print.
“It’s just been a dwindling market. And Slough do a lot of the packaging, which is still a profitable area.”
Jim D’Avila, the regional co-ordinating officer for the union Unite, said: “I think it shows how serious the state of the economy is.
“There was news about the Government’s borrowing and that could be threatening the triple A status.
“It just seems since Honda announced that bombshell of 800 jobs going, job losses seem to be in a freefall in Swindon. We’re seeing jobs every day going to the wall, including at the council.”
The company were not available for comment at the time of going to press.
Comments(17)
A.Baron-Cohen
says...
12:41pm Wed 23 Jan 13
Empty Car Park
says...
12:46pm Wed 23 Jan 13
A.Baron-Cohen wrote:Unemployment?
I have read today in the news that employment is at its highest in 40 years.
A.Baron-Cohen
says...
12:51pm Wed 23 Jan 13
Empty Car Park wrote:well you would think it would be unemployment....but I read the article again, and the headline is:
A.Baron-Cohen wrote:Unemployment?
I have read today in the news that employment is at its highest in 40 years.
"Record-breaking 30million Britons now in work: Cheer for Cameron as number hits highest level for more than 40 YEARS"
I let you be the judge of that.
Even Angrier Monkey
says...
1:09pm Wed 23 Jan 13
A.Baron-Cohen wrote:There are more people in the country than ever before. Its a true but meaningless statistic.
Empty Car Park wrote:well you would think it would be unemployment....but I read the article again, and the headline is: "Record-breakinA.Baron-Cohen wrote: I have read today in the news that employment is at its highest in 40 years.Unemployment?
g 30million Britons now in work: Cheer for Cameron as number hits highest level for more than 40 YEARS" I let you be the judge of that.
house on the hill
says...
1:17pm Wed 23 Jan 13
Tim Newroman
says...
1:23pm Wed 23 Jan 13
Empty Car Park wrote:
A.Baron-Cohen wrote:Unemployment?
I have read today in the news that employment is at its highest in 40 years.
LONDON - 23/01/13 09:48
The number of unemployed people fell to 2.49 million from 2.51 million in the three months to the end of October, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement.
That was the tenth drop in a row and marked the lowest level since the three months to May 2011.
The jobless rate meanwhile fell to 7.7 percent from 7.8 percent and the employment total hit a new record high at 29.68 million people, the ONS said.
Source: AFP
While it's true that many of these jobs are part-time, low paid jobs, the facts remain as above.
The ONS are not prone to lying.
A pathological hatred of the Tories does not mean the figures are fictional, much as you'd like them to be.
Always Grumpy
says...
1:55pm Wed 23 Jan 13
Even Angrier Monkey wrote:Most of the extra ones being immigrants.
A.Baron-Cohen wrote:There are more people in the country than ever before. Its a true but meaningless statistic.
Empty Car Park wrote:well you would think it would be unemployment....but I read the article again, and the headline is: "Record-breakinA.Baron-Cohen wrote: I have read today in the news that employment is at its highest in 40 years.Unemployment?
g 30million Britons now in work: Cheer for Cameron as number hits highest level for more than 40 YEARS" I let you be the judge of that.
A.Baron-Cohen
says...
4:31pm Wed 23 Jan 13
Tim Newroman wrote:Hatred, that is a very strong word, I disagree with some of their policies but I do not hate. I leave that to others.....
Empty Car Park wrote:
A.Baron-Cohen wrote:Unemployment?
I have read today in the news that employment is at its highest in 40 years.
LONDON - 23/01/13 09:48
The number of unemployed people fell to 2.49 million from 2.51 million in the three months to the end of October, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement.
That was the tenth drop in a row and marked the lowest level since the three months to May 2011.
The jobless rate meanwhile fell to 7.7 percent from 7.8 percent and the employment total hit a new record high at 29.68 million people, the ONS said.
Source: AFP
While it's true that many of these jobs are part-time, low paid jobs, the facts remain as above.
The ONS are not prone to lying.
A pathological hatred of the Tories does not mean the figures are fictional, much as you'd like them to be.
At a time when so many are losing their jobs and with the Economy struggling to deliver any Growth, I find it difficult to understand how unemployment could be falling!?!
That would make a few Economists scratch their heads.....
Tim Newroman
says...
6:01pm Wed 23 Jan 13
It also seems as though a lot of unemployed immigrants are returning home.
Empty Car Park
says...
8:18pm Wed 23 Jan 13
unemployment?
Meaning did you meant to write "unemployment"
Tim Newroman / I 2 Could B wrote
A pathological hatred of the Tories does not mean the figures are fictional, much as you'd like them to be."
Amazing how you invent such a scenario and spew so much pointless venom from one word.
Is "pathological" your latest buzzword?
Antonio Lorusso
says...
8:21pm Wed 23 Jan 13
And he said he feared that they would not be able to get another job in printing as it was a dying industry.
Union rep:
“I think it shows how serious the state of the economy is."
Notice the difference in nuanced understanding of the situation. Yes, the economy is in a quite bad state, but a lot of the firms that are going out of business are ones where they are either being out-competed or made less relevant by new technologies, such as print vs electronic, high street vs internet.
(Although I admit this could be simply from what the adver choose to quote from the various people)
RichardR1
says...
7:52am Thu 24 Jan 13
The growth in the number of part-time jobs was in fact less than the growth in full time jobs according to the survey.
It is not brilliant news but better than it could have been.
Meanwhile it seems the contention by local business experts and our MP's that Swindon was bucking the trend is patently untrue.
With the prospect of a conservative 250,000 new immigrants from Romania and Bulgaria next January things can only get worse, not just for Swindon but England as a whole.
Even Conservative Eric Pickles has acknowledged that public services will be put under even greater strain.
Tim Newroman
says...
9:20am Thu 24 Jan 13
Empty Car Park wrote:Of course he didn't meant to write 'unemployment' - that was the WHOLE POINT of his post.
I wrote
unemployment?
Meaning did you meant to write "unemployment"
Tim Newroman / I 2 Could B wrote
A pathological hatred of the Tories does not mean the figures are fictional, much as you'd like them to be."
Amazing how you invent such a scenario and spew so much pointless venom from one word.
Is "pathological" your latest buzzword?
You can try and backtrack all you like, but it's clear from your usual snidey posting style that you were trying to be 'witty' in that same usual style.
I use the term 'pathological' in relation to your posting style because that's precisely what it is. Your well documented hatred of the Tory council and, well, anything that isn't Labour (or Kareen Boyd) trips you up every time.
It's not a made up buzzword - we'll leave that to you and your 'Plastic Westminster'.
Empty Car Park
says...
9:56am Thu 24 Jan 13
You can try and backtrack all you like, but it's clear from your usual snidey posting style that you were trying to be 'witty' in that same usual style.
I use the term 'pathological' in relation to your posting style because that's precisely what it is. Your well documented hatred of the Tory council and, well, anything that isn't Labour (or Kareen Boyd) trips you up every time.
all that from ONE WORD.......!?
Here's two words
GROW UP
Tim Newroman
says...
3:04pm Thu 24 Jan 13
Empty Car Park wrote:No, I Too / Empty Car Park / I'm Important / Pompey Bound / ad nauseum... not 'all that from one word', at all.
Tim (I 2 Could B) Newroman
You can try and backtrack all you like, but it's clear from your usual snidey posting style that you were trying to be 'witty' in that same usual style.
I use the term 'pathological' in relation to your posting style because that's precisely what it is. Your well documented hatred of the Tory council and, well, anything that isn't Labour (or Kareen Boyd) trips you up every time.
all that from ONE WORD.......!?
Here's two words
GROW UP
You're happy to try and dish it out, but really don't seem to like it when people pull you up on your mistakes and snide posts.
It was blatantly obvious what your original post was meant to mean and convey. Either that, or you're more unaware of current affairs than I thought.
Still, at least you're not calling everyone 'Olive' anymore.
Empty Car Park
says...
11:55pm Thu 24 Jan 13
Dan_Swindon says...
11:57am Wed 23 Jan 13