Thirty jobs are set to be axed at one of Newtown’s biggest employers.
And the remaining 320 staff at Control Techniques in Pool Road have been told they are facing reduced working hours from next month as the company adjusts to the economic downturn.

The company, which makes variable speed drives for machinery, announced today it is looking to make about 30 people redundant.

Pierre Sarre, company president, said: “While the job cuts are unfortunate, they are absolutely necessary to adapt to the current economic situation.

“Despite this, the outlook for the company remains very good. We continue to make significant investments in new product development and we plan to come out of this downturn in a stronger position than our competitors.”

He said the cuts were being made in light of the sustained economic downturn in overseas markets for industrial goods.

Control Techniques said it would be asking for voluntary redundancies in the first instance, but compulsory moves would be made if 30 volunteers could not be found.

The firm said the rest of the staff would be subject to short-time working from the end of March, with members of staff working nine days every two weeks.

The company’s products are used to control motors in a range of applications, from precision machines to high-performance elevators, from cranes to fans.

Councillor Sue Lawson, Newtown mayor, said the news would have “a huge effect” on the town.

She said: “This is just absolutely awful. This is just a sign of the times and so many people are losing their jobs. 

“I think people are going to end up moving away to find another job because there just isn’t any about round here and people have got to live.

“The Government needs to start taking immediate action to stop this from happening.”

The news from Control Techniques is the second major blow to the Mid Wales economy in the past seven days.

Last week, 74 people were made redundant in Welshpool, when car parts firm Floform entered administration and ceased trading at its site in Henfaes Lane.

The firm supplied a number of manufacturers, including Volvo Trucks in Sweden. A meeting aimed at helping all 74 workers find jobs and give benefits advice was due to take place in Welshpool today.