Fujifilm to make job cuts in Europe; UK situation unclear

Richard Stuart-Turner
Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Dutch media has reported that Fujifilm is set to close one of its offset plate production lines in Tilburg at the end of the year, resulting in the loss of more than 100 jobs, with some UK jobs also understood to be under threat.

Brabants Dagblad reported last month that around 111 jobs will disappear at the Tilburg site, with around 80 roles likely to be made redundant, but said it is not yet clear exactly who will have to leave the business.

The publication cited “the difficult financial situation of the Fujifilm graphics branch in Europe” as a reason for the cuts.

It quoted the Tilburg site’s general manager Peter Struik as saying that the market for offset printing plates is “a saturated market”.

He added [translated from Dutch]: “There are high raw material prices and we are experiencing increasing market pressure and the associated price erosion. Of course, we do our utmost to relocate as many employees as possible or to guide them from work to work.”

When asked about Fujifilm’s general state, he said the company “as a whole is in good health”.

“It is the largest player in the photo paper market and the company has achieved good results in recent years through the introduction of new types of photo paper. Fujifilm is also working in Tilburg on the development of new products and technologies.”

Industry sources have told PrintWeek there was an announcement to Fujifilm UK staff regarding UK job cuts on Monday (11 March), though this has not been confirmed and Fujifilm declined requests to comment.

A source told PrintWeek: “The general plate decline is an issue for everybody. The market is not what it was.”

Thought to employ 800 staff, the Tilburg site opened its third CTP plate line, PS-10, in 2011 though PrintWeek understands it had only been operating two of its lines "for a while".

 

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