270 jobs to be cut as Carrickfergus factory set to close

by Q Radio News

Sensata Technologies has announced its closing its site in Carrickfergus in a move that will see 270 jobs cut. 

The global firm currently employs 1178 employees in Northern Ireland across two sites in Carrickfergus and Antrim. 

A small number of operational support roles based in Antrim are also included in the jobs which will be affected. 

Staff have been informed of the company's decision to commence a phased closure, with the site set to close in early 2021. 

The business will engage in a collective consultation period with employees, during which proposed alternatives to compulsory redundancy will be considered. 

Sensata Technologies is a global organisation which makes sensors, switches and controls for multiple industries and manufactures a range of Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems. 

It has had a significant manufacturing and R&D presence in Northern Ireland since its 2014 acquisition of Schrader Electronics, which was founded in 1988.

Yann Etienvre, Senior Vice President, Global Operations at Sensata Technologies said:

“As a company we are facing a perfect storm of European market conditions which have led to a significant drop in demand for the product lines currently manufactured in Carrickfergus.

“There has been a well-documented fall in the global automotive industry and this has been further heightened by consolidation in our market, with existing customers being absorbed into large entities whose manufacturing processes use alternative products to our own.

“We had anticipated that a proposed tightening of European TPMS legislation would drive increased demand for direct sensing systems and, as a result, increased demand for TPMS products.

"Unfortunately, this has not happened as indirect sensing solutions continue to be permitted by the European authorities.

"In response we have had to review our organisational model.

“The proposed closure of our Carrickfergus site has been a very difficult decision for the company to make, and a number of actions were implemented to try to avoid reaching this point.

“Our focus now is on providing support to the affected employees and their families through the consultation period. To that end we have engaged external consultants LHH Penna to provide career transition advice and assistance for all affected employees.

 “Sensata Technologies remains committed to our Northern Ireland operation.

"We continue to manufacture products at our Antrim site and we are on target with our plans to develop an R&D centre of excellence there. This investment in new products and a new technology centre will result in the creation of additional jobs in the next two years.”