Where did it all go wrong, asks firm's axed workforce
STUNNED workers who lost their jobs when a Brighouse factory went into administration were asking this week, "Where did it all go wrong?"
Up to 140 staff at UV Modular at Armytage Road were told at a shopfloor meeting last Friday that the receivers had been called in and were told to collect their belongings and leave the premises.
The firm which specialised in the design, manufacture and supply of ambulances had seemed to be thriving. Formed in 2002 it had established itself as one of the UK's top manufacturers for ambulances and mobility buses and in recent years had won orders from the London Ambulance Trust, West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service and the Scottish Ambulance Service NHS Trust.
But administrators who were called in following a request from the firm's directors said UV Modular's financial postion meant that there was no alternative but to make the majority of the 140 staff redundant.
UV Modular, a subsidiary of AssetCo plc, an integrated support services business based in Middlesex, was created in 2002 from the ashes of UVG which had gone into administration. A consortium headed by bankers Peter Howard-Jones and Gill Wood brought the company back from the brink of closure and by the following year the company had won orders for 18 months ahead and was able to take on workers who had previously lost their jobs. Calder Valley MP Chris McCafferty visited the company and praised the enthusiastic and loyal workforce and UV Modular's willingness to invest.
Last year the company secured a multi-million pound deal to supply 'frontline' ambulances to Scotland. The 8 million deal was for two years with the possibility of being extended for a further two.
Workers who were laid off on Friday were shocked to be told of the extent of the company's problems. John Durkin, branch secretary of the GMB union in Brighouse, said: "The announcement came out of the blue and was a complete shock.
"We represent about 40 workers and there was no consultation process and no timetable to give people time to adjust. Ambulances are always in demand and there are questions that need asking and answering. We would hope that a buyer could be found but in the meantime the workers in Brighouse are joining the jobless total which now stands at 2.8 million. It's all rather sad."
Paul Rooney and Steve Ellis, of PricewaterhouseCoopers have been appointed as joint administrators of UV Modular. Mr Ellis said: "Our immediate priority will be to complete our examination of the financial position of the business and to identify those assets that can be disposed of for the benefit of creditors."
A statement on AssetCo's website announced that the closure follows a strategic review conducted earlier in the year and was part of the company's decision to "exit from its low margin businesses".
A spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions confirmed that the redundancy support team from Brighouse Jobcentre had visited the UV Modular factory on Friday: "The team arranged for Job Kits to be given to all employees of UV Modular. They also organised a talk for the staff to explain about claiming benefits and to provide information on job searching techniques, transferable skills and funding for training."
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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