RPC
Plans to close plants in The Netherlands and Czech Republic / Return to 40-hour week in Germany
The restructuring programme “RPC 2010” launched earlier this year by rigid packaging specialist RPC Group (Higham Ferrers, Rushden / UK; www.rpc.eu) is slowly taking shape. At the end of September, the company announced plans to shut its injection moulding plant at Mozzate / Italy – see Plasteurope.com of 02.10.2008 – part of its Beauté operation. In the meantime it has begun talks with the workforce of its Dutch plants at Halfen (blow moulding) and Ravenstein (injection moulding) and at Aš in the Czech Republic (thermoforming) about closing these facilities.
This brings to four the number of sites known to be affected by the scheme that foresees closure of at least six plants and the sale of an additional two. Altogether, around 550 jobs are involved. In Germany, RPC has increased weekly working time for seven of its nine production facilities from 37.5 hours to a total of 40 hours, a spokesman confirmed to PIE. All of the affected plants are engaged in injection moulding.
In the six months to 30 September 2008, the UK group increased sales by 16% to GBP 381m (EUR 456m). RPC said the first half results were influenced by currency fluctuations, price increases and acquisitions. In mainland Europe, sales rose by more than 25%. In contrast, turnover in the home market declined by 5%. Operating profit after restructuring costs came to GBP 4.5m, compared with GBP 8.4m in the 2007 first half.
RPC, which claims to be trading “more successfully than the majority of its competitors,” said it had been able to pass on its own higher operating costs to its customers in H1. It added that its “solid balance sheet” and finance facilities in place until 2012 “give us a competitive advantage in a troubled industry.” The restructuring scheme is aimed at improving profitability in the medium term.
e-Service:
RPC report on H1 2008/2009 as a PDF document (302 KB)
RPC presentation on H1 2008/2009 as a PDF document (456 KB)
This brings to four the number of sites known to be affected by the scheme that foresees closure of at least six plants and the sale of an additional two. Altogether, around 550 jobs are involved. In Germany, RPC has increased weekly working time for seven of its nine production facilities from 37.5 hours to a total of 40 hours, a spokesman confirmed to PIE. All of the affected plants are engaged in injection moulding.
In the six months to 30 September 2008, the UK group increased sales by 16% to GBP 381m (EUR 456m). RPC said the first half results were influenced by currency fluctuations, price increases and acquisitions. In mainland Europe, sales rose by more than 25%. In contrast, turnover in the home market declined by 5%. Operating profit after restructuring costs came to GBP 4.5m, compared with GBP 8.4m in the 2007 first half.
RPC, which claims to be trading “more successfully than the majority of its competitors,” said it had been able to pass on its own higher operating costs to its customers in H1. It added that its “solid balance sheet” and finance facilities in place until 2012 “give us a competitive advantage in a troubled industry.” The restructuring scheme is aimed at improving profitability in the medium term.
e-Service:
RPC report on H1 2008/2009 as a PDF document (302 KB)
RPC presentation on H1 2008/2009 as a PDF document (456 KB)
05.12.2008 Plasteurope.com [212352]
Published on 05.12.2008
German version of this article...