Managers at one of Shropshire’s biggest employers today announced it was cutting shifts as the credit crunch started to hit its order books.GKN Sankey in Telford today said one shift at its Hadley Castle plant is to go and further staff moves and shift pattern changes are on the cards as it battles to adjust to a major cut back in orders from Land Rover.

The firm said redundancies could not be ruled out.

Rob Ball, Sankey human resources director, said today: “I think everybody knows there have been changes at Land Rover and shifts have been cut back.

“The Discovery, for example, is cutting to a single shift and we are having to respond to that, so we are looking at exactly where we are.

“It is a very difficult time for everybody.”

The company, which makes chassis, car underbody components and wheels, principally for Land Rover, Ford and Toyota, employs about 950 people.

Sankey’s huge Hadley Castle works has two shifts making chassis for the new Land Rover Discovery and is understood to turn out about 1,700 each week. However, one of those shifts is be axed, slashing production to about 700.

Mr Ball said a range of options were being considered and compulsory redundancies could not be ruled out.

“We have not started the process to make people redundant,” he said. “There will, however, be some people who think it is an appropriate time for them to leave and we will have discussions about that.”

The unions could not be contacted today.