Business

CDE Global the latest manufacturer to confirm job cuts

CO Tyrone engineering firm CDE Global has become the latest manufacturer to confirm it will cut its workforce.

The Cookstown-based firm, which develops wet processing equipment, said the move was a response to market conditions in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

CDE has not disclosed how many jobs will go, but it said the number will be “small”.

The company has launched a consultation process. Firms are typically required to consult on job cuts if 20 or more employees are being made redundant within a 90-day period.

Other major manufacturers in Co Tyrone including Terex and Mallaghan have already confirmed plans to cut jobs.

Last month HMRC figures confirmed that just over one-in-three employees (37 per cent) in Mid Ulster had been registered for the UK Government furlough scheme, the highest ratio of any constituency in the north.

CDE Global has been one of the fastest growing manufacturers in the north. Last year the company unveiled its new multimillion pound headquarters in Cookstown, announcing plans to create 150 jobs by 2020.

But in a statement, the firm said: “In response to current market conditions we have taken the decision to realign our business.

“Inevitably this will lead to a small reduction in employee numbers. We are in contact with those colleagues potentially affected by these changes and a consultation process is currently underway.

“We are committed to retaining as many of our team as possible through this realignment, and will continue to meet, and in many cases exceed, our customers’ expectations."