Caterpillar cut more than 200 jobs in Northern Ireland

Redundancies will also lead to the closure of the US firm’s Monkstown plant in Newtownabbey

CATERPILLAR have announced plans to restructure their Northern Ireland operations, which will see the loss of up to 250 jobs and the closure of the company’s Monkstown plant outside Belfast. 

The US manufacturer is also considering ending the production of 25-tonne and larger material handlers in the country, including the planned launch of large materials-handler models for Europe.

And the proposed changes under the new structure could impact other sites in Larne, County Antrim and Springvale in west Belfast. The closure of Monkstown will see the production of diesel generator sets consolidated into the Larne factory, while the manufacture of truck axles will be transferred into the Springvale plant.  

The restructuring and production cut-backs are part of Caterpillar’s ongoing plans to reduce their operating costs in response to the global market slump and current difficult trading conditions.

‘We recognize that what we are considering is difficult for our employees, their families and the communities where they live and work,’ said Tom Frake, Caterpillar vice president for global power solutions.  

‘Despite these contemplated actions, we remain committed to Northern Ireland. In fact, these potential changes would make us more efficient and competitive over the longer term as we adapt to the weak market conditions.’

Caterpillar have pledged to make support measures available to all those affected by the decision.