PARKER Hannifin will shed jobs from its Wodonga factory as the business battles a high Australian dollar and downturn in trade.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It’s believed about a dozen jobs will be lost at the hydraulic hose manufacturing business by the end of November.
The company did not respond to requests for comment yesterday, but workers at the Chapple Street business were told of the decision recently.
It’s believed the plant, which produces a range of hydraulic hose products, will continue to operate.
Member for Benambra Bill Tilley said any job losses in the region were unfortunate.
“Unfortunately there’s a downturn in demand and they haven’t been able to trade out of that,” he said.
“There will be a number of redundancies and they will receive all their entitlements.
“It’s unfortunate, but that’s the reality of the market they’re in.
“We need to ensure that there are other opportunities for workers to transition into other employment.”
Wodonga Chamber of Commerce business manager Bernie Squire said the news was “not great” with the manufacturing sector struggling.
“I felt locally we might have been a bit more insulated,” he said.
“There are jobs available, it’s just whether you’ve got the skills to fill the roles.
“People need to make sure they’ve got the relevant skills and right amount of training.”
The corporation is based the US and opened in the former Sanyo factory in 1991.
It has undergone several expansions in that time, including a $4 million upgrade completed in 2012 which saw 40 jobs created.
The state government gave the business $500,000 for the upgrade, with the company providing the remaining $3.5 million.
The Wodonga plant became the company’s Australian manufacturing base in 2003, which created 100 jobs.
