Rotherham manufacturer set to shut with loss of all jobs

Staff at Parker Hannifin, on Hellaby Industrial Estate, were called in and told of the plan to close the plant the end of March.

A spokesman for the American-owned firm blamed competitiveness, falling production volumes and costs. The firm has shed 25 jobs over the last 12 months.

The spokesman said they would try to transfer people to other Parker operations locally, including in Sheffield, Brampton, Barnsley and Huddersfield. And “professional outplacement people” were going in to advise staff on “career management”, CVs and job hunting.

The Hellaby firm makes piston accumulators for hydraulic systems.

A consultation on the closure proposal is set to run until the end of December.

Parker is an $11bn turnover manufacturer of motion and control systems with operations in 49 countries.