Pindar is closing Edinburgh-based MacDonald Lindsay Pindar after the loss of a major contract.
Chairman Andrew Pindar described it as a "terribly sad" decision, but said the plant became economically unviable after losing its property newspapers work, which represented 40% of sales, to DC Thomson which can produce the jobs cheaper. Pindar intends to keep a small pre-press operation going, probably at its separate Internet operation in Edinburgh, but 59 out of 67 staff will be made redundant. The 3,700m2 site is likely to be sold.
"We tried our best to do what we could, but we couldnt offer clients any more savings. Its not a big enough business and the niche element was lost, so we had to get out of it," added Pindar.
McDonald Lindsey Pindars kit, which includes a nine-month-old six-colour Speedmaster 102 and Didde VIP mini-web, will either be repurposed within the group or sold.
GPMU officials are opposing the closure, and want workers to receive an enhanced redundancy package. Pindar said that the existing proposal was "better than statutory", and that the staffs decision to work to rule two weeks ago had led to the property work being pulled by the client eight weeks earlier than anticipated.
"Weve never had a major dispute with the GPMU and will keep on working with them," Pindar pledged.