Vacuum
cleaner manufacturer Dyson is moving production from Wiltshire to the Far East
in an effort to cut costs.
The move will see job
losses of 800 at the Malmesbury plant and comes as the company’s founder James
Dyson is quoted lamenting the downturn of UK industry in the February issue of Director magazine.
In a statement Dyson
said the move marks "a sad day and a very difficult one”.
“We have spent the past six years
building up production here at Malmesbury. By moving it to the Far East, where
many suppliers are based and where production is more cost effective, we will
be able to continue to grow, invest heavily in new technologies and launch more
products faster.”
Dyson set up a
production facility in Malaysia two years ago.
Under the plans, the
company’s research and development unit will remain in the UK along with the
company’s washing machine operations.
A Dyson spokeswoman
said the move is still at proposal stage and she did not know when it would be
finalised.
