Caterpillar has begun consultations with the Unite union over the possibility of 200 job losses at a Wolverhampton manufacturing plant.

All 289 employees at Turner Powertrain Systems — owned by Caterpillar since 1996 — are now part of a 45-day collective consultation about a proposed end to the assembly and manufacturing operations next year.

Caterpillar said in a statement that 203 staff are at risk of redundancy, with product development, sales and marketing, warranty and other support functions expected to remain at the facility on a reduced scale.

A company statement said that it will be more cost-effective to assemble at the Wolverhampton facility, with the production work currently performed there carried out in France, India and North America.

Gerard Coyne, regional secretary for Unite, said: “The announcement that up to 203 jobs at Caterpillar will be lost is a bitter pill for the hardworking staff and their families. The announcement is doubly painful as the company last year promised that it would keep 70% of the manufacturing capacity in Wolverhampton.”

The facility is currently responsible for the design, development, manufacture, assembly, sales and support of off-highway transmissions for back-hoe loaders, telescopic ma-
terial handlers and site dumpers.