A STEEL structures factory in Yate that employed 81 people is closing.
Billington Structures has confirmed that the plant in Badminton Road will “largely cease operation” by the end of December, with work transferred to the manufacturer’s home town of Barnsley.
The company announced consultations on the closure of the plant in October, as part of restructuring plans.
The decision was confirmed in a statement to the London Stock Exchange.
Billingtons said: “The company has now completed the evaluation of a number of options regarding the restructuring of its structural steel operations and has concluded that the group’s Yate facility in Bristol will be closed.
“Following the previously announced consultation with the affected employees at Yate, which has now concluded, a proportion of them will be transferred to the group’s Barnsley facilities in early 2026.
“The Yate production facility will largely cease operation by the end of 2025, with the technical office, located at Yate, remaining unaffected.”
Machinery moved out
Billingtons said it was transferring machinery from Yate to Barnsley and employing extra staff in the in South Yorkshire town to “mitigate the loss of capacity” from the closure.
The statement added: “The company will now also explore options to maximise the value of the Yate site.”
Billingtons did not reveal how many staff were being transferred instead of being made redundant and a spokesperson declined to tell the Voice how many worked at the technical office, which is also based at the Badminton Road premises and will “remain there for the time being”.
The firm said the closure had gone ahead to reduce overheads, cut costs and “more closely align operational capacity with market demand”.
Thornbury & Yate MP Claire Young raised concerns over the move when the plans were announced, saying: “This operation has been part of Yate’s economy for many years, providing valuable jobs to local people.”
The closure comes a year after another major Yate employer, Beko Europe, shut its tumble dryer factory in Station Road, with the loss of more than 100 jobs.