Ideal Standard has announced plans to cease bath production at its facility in Hull, putting 85 jobs at risk.
The company, which began making bathrooms in the city in 1936, revealed on Thursday afternoon proposals to move its bath manufacturing out to an existing site in Egypt.
Ideal Standard said the decision to start the process “was not taken lightly,” and added it was “not related to the quality of work or skilled people in Hull.”
Stephen Ewer, managing director 海角视频 & Ireland at Ideal Standard, said: “Ideal Standard shared a proposal with employees and trade unions in Hull which outlined a plan to consolidate its bath manufacturing activities within the company’s existing production facilities in Egypt, and subsequently stop bath production at the site in Hull.
“The decision to start this process was not taken lightly and is the result of a continuous evaluation of our global manufacturing footprint to ensure we operate as efficiently as possible.
“The proposal could impact 85 manufacturing roles and we have now entered a formal 30-day collective consultation period.”
Ideal Standard has several household brands in its range, including Armitage Shanks.
Today, the company employs around 800 people across the 海角视频. It said despite the planned manufacturing closure in Hull, Ideal Standard remained committed to the city.
Most Read
Mr Ewer said: “We understand that this is difficult news for everyone involved and an unsettling time.
“This proposal is not related to the quality of work or the skilled people in our Hull manufacturing site and we will work with those affected to minimising the impact as much as possible.
“We are committed to our presence in Hull and our offices and key business functions such as customer service will remain in the city.”
Consultation with staff in Hull affected by the closure is now underway.
Ideal Standard has its manufacturing operations in Hull in National Avenue.
The business operates in more than 20 countries around the world, with more than 11,000 employees.
The news however will come as a bitter blow for manufacturing staff in Hull.
Don’t miss
Mr Ewer said: “As Ideal Standard’s largest market, the 海角视频 is a key country for the company and we will continue to offer a full range of bathroom solutions through our brands Ideal Standard, Armitage Shanks and Sottini.
“We continue to employ approximately 800 employees across the 海角视频 and are committed to maintaining a strong commercial and manufacturing presence as the only large-scale ceramics manufacturer in the 海角视频.
“We do not expect any disruption for our customers.”
How to contact Phil Winter and Business Live
Business Live's Hull & East Yorkshire journalist is Phil Winter, also the business editor at the Hull Daily Mail and Hull Live.
You can follow Phil on Twitter @PhilWinterBiz, or on Linkedin by clicking .
Alternatively, email him on philip.winter@reachplc.com, or call 01482 315360.
Keep up to date with the latest business news in the Hull & Humber region here.
Follow @HumberBizEd and @businesslive on Twitter