Rigid plastics packaging supplier RPC Group (Higham Ferrers / UK; www.rpc.eu) is planning to close its UK factory in Hereford. The factory supplies PP containers to the food market for products such as margarine and ice cream. A 90-day consultation period with employees has started and if the closure goes ahead up to 150 jobs will be lost. RPC says that despite new investment at the site it has not been possible to bring the plant into sustainable profit. It plans to consolidate the injection moulding and thermoforming activities at other RPC sites in the country.

A similar 90-day consultation is underway at the Thornaby, Middlesborough / UK factory of RPC beauté, where another 160 jobs are likely to be axed. The pending closure is blamed on the declining UK base for cosmetics manufacture and RPC’s subsequent need to consolidate its beauty products manufacturing operations at its mainland European sites.