Blade company cuts up to 95 jobs

A consultation has started to try to reduce compulsory redundancies

Up to 95 jobs are to be cut by one of Exeter's biggest manufacturers.

US company Alcoa Howmet, which makes turbine blades, has announced the redundancies at its foundry on the Sowton Industrial Estate.

It follows the announcement of 86 job losses at the site in April and 70 agency staff cuts in July.

The Unite union said it would try to reduce the number of compulsory redundancies among the 883-strong workforce.

Decline in orders

A spokesman for the company said the job losses resulted from a restructuring following a "big decline in orders".

Dave Springbett, from Unite, said: "The falling volumes in the manufacturing sector have been ongoing for some time now.

"I hope we're starting to see the bottom... let's hope we see those green shoots soon."

He said staff at the company would be "very worried" about what the future holds for them.

A 30-day consultation period between the union and company bosses has started.

The Alcoa Howmet foundry in Exeter has been manufacturing turbine blades for the aerospace and power generating industries for about 40 years.