Regional EuroTimes
Date Posted 04/09/2009
B&L says phased withdrawal from plant in Scotland will save hundreds of millions of dollars
Bausch & Lomb (B&L) is proposing a phased withdrawal from its production facility in Livingston, Scotland, during 2010 and early 2011.
The proposal will affect approximately 500 employees in Livingston on a staggered basis through the next 14 to 18 months.
B&L chairman and chief executive officer Gerald M Ostrov, said the long-term cost savings following the proposed move will be "hundreds of millions of dollars".
In a statement the company said it proposes to begin migrating most of its global contact lens production to its existing sites in Waterford, Ireland, and Rochester, NY, US.
It will shortly enter into a 90-day consultation period with employees at the Livingston site.
“Considering our growth plans in the coming years, we believe it’s better to focus our resources and attention on just two primary contact lens plants, freeing cash for reinvestment into the business,” said Mr Ostrov.
“We recognise the significant impact to our Livingston employees, their families and the community, and note this is by no means a reflection on our employees’ professionalism, dedication, or efforts. We will do everything within our ability to ensure that their needs and concerns are listened to with the utmost respect,” he said.
The company statement said B&L carried out an extensive review before recommending to consolidate production at its Irish and US sites.
The review examined proximity to established research and development resources, total cost savings, global operational efficiencies, and future investment potential as its contact lens business grows.
“It became very clear to our senior leadership team — following our detailed analysis — that company-owned sites in Rochester and Waterford held a strong advantage in most major assessment criteria. The long-term cost savings alone are hundreds of millions of dollars,” said Mr Ostrov.
“At the same time, this will better position us to more rapidly grow production volumes as we increase professional and consumer contact lens demand worldwide,” he said.
The company has also engaged the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise in discussions regarding the matter during the past several weeks, and it will continue these discussions during the consultation period, said the B&L statement.
As part of the proposed consolidation, SofLens® daily disposable lens manufacturing lines will be moved from Livingston to Waterford and Rochester over the course of the next year. The Waterford plant already manufactures this product. In conjunction, production lines for PureVision® SVS lenses will be moved from Waterford to Rochester, joining already existing PureVision lines at that plant.
The company said it had taken "multiple measures" to ensure uninterrupted supplies of all products to eye care professionals and consumers.
The consolidation will be expected to create approximately 30 new positions in Rochester during 2010, but no employment increase in Waterford, according to B&L.
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