3M to consult staff on Swansea plant closure plans

3M has announced that it has commenced a 45-day period of consultation with employees at its site in Gorseinon Road, Penllergaer.

The company is proposing the closure of the site, which produces a range of products for the personal care industry and collision aftermarket and vehicle repair centres. Under the proposal, manufacturing operations would move to existing 3M facilities worldwide including Bangor, Northern Ireland.

The proposal potentially impacts 100 employees and 10 contingent workers. If implemented, the closure would take place within the next 24 months. The 3M Gorseinon site would then close.

Lars Hanseid, managing director, 3M North Europe Region said: “We will consult employees in a professional, honest, open and fair manner. We will be sharing our thought processes with them and all employees will have an opportunity to ask questions and contribute views.”

The Penllergaer plant, which opened in 1952, would have celebrated it’s 70th anniversary next year. It is the American company’s oldest manufacturing facility outside the US.

At it’s peak, the plant employed over 10,000 staff at the Gorseinon Road site.

Lead image: Archive photo of the iconic 3M water tower (Image: Geograph)