About 80 new jobs will be coming to Witham as a company already based in the town restructures.

Tyco Electronics' energy division is closing down part of its plant in Aldridge, West Midlands and moving up to 60 jobs to its subsidiary, Crompton Industrial Instruments in Freebournes Road, Witham.

Some jobs have also been moved from the company's Preston plant, bringing the number of extra positions at Witham up to about 80. This will take the total Freebournes Road workforce to about 320.

There will also be a £1 million investment in a new laboratory to carry out low, medium and high voltage testing for the company's energy division at Witham.

Peter McManus, human resources manager for the company's UK energy division, said: "We're going against the grain because normally we see sites in the south closing and going up north where labour rates may be cheaper."

Published Wednesday January 28, 2004

Brought to you by the Evening Gazette