Japanese medical equipment manufacturer Terumo is to close its Liverpool city region factory next year with the loss of 110 jobs. Tony McDonough reports

A Japanese-owned factory in Knowsley that has produced medical equipment for 25 years is to close with the loss of 110 jobs.

Terumo Europe NV (Terumo) said on Wednesday afternoon that it intended to close its plant in at Unity Grove in Knowsley Business Park by the second quarter of 2023. The plant makes tubing packs used in cardiac surgery.

The company said the proposal is subject to consultation with union officials and employee representatives. It says it will “seek to avoid any compulsory redundancies, reduce the number of redundancies, and mitigate the impact of any unavoidable redundancies”.

Terumo is launching the consultation to address competitive market challenges by revising its tubing pack manufacturing operations. The proposal aims to “reduce manufacturing costs, improve competitiveness, and increase sustainable investment in the business through greater returns”.

A Terumo UK spokesperson said: “It is with sadness that we launch a consultation on the proposed closure of our Merseyside site, which has been key to Terumo’s business for 25 years.

“Our proposal to close the Merseyside plant does not reflect on the performance, dedication, and hard work of our employees working there and is a result of global market challenges.”

In October 2020 the factory was forced into a temporary shutdown when eight of its employees tested positive for COVID-19. Operations were halted for a week while the plant underwent a deep clean.