Eaton Williams business is closed
The Eaton Williams factories at Edenbridge in Kent and Stoke-on-Trent have ceased production and will finally close their doors on 30 November. A new, smaller facility will remain open in Tonbridge close to the Edenbridge site.
Distribution and manufacturing will move to the West Midlands to the manufacturing plant of parent group Nortek Global HVAC in Brierley Hill for process cooling and Vapac humidification solutions. Vapac production will continue in Poland as usual.
The Vapac and ServerCool (server and data-rack cooling) brands will remain and become part of the Nortek family, alongside AmbiRad, Reznor, Benson, Airbloc and Nordair Niche.
Eaton Williams became an affiliate of the Nortek Global HVAC (UK) umbrella in 2015, a move that was intended to help Eaton Williams improve operation costs and financial performance. Losses have improved since the transition, but the business continues to fall short in both sales and profits, making it difficult to continue as a limited company.
It is anticipated that there have been 110 job losses, and about 20 employees have transferred to roles within Nortek. A number of employees have transferred to other business units under TUPE and have taken employment in alternative departments within Nortek Global HVAC (UK).
Simon Parker, vice president and general manager of Nortek Global HVAC Europe, said, ‘The leadership team and employees at Eaton Williams and Nortek Global HVAC UK have worked exceptionally hard to turn the business round, but the losses became unsustainable.
‘Two of the product lines, Vapac and process cooling, will transfer to Nortek Global HVAC, together with approximately 20 employees. The remaining employees are being made redundant and will receive full outplacement support.
‘The Vapac and ServerCool businesses have a very positive future, and we hope their growth will serve as a legacy to the Eaton Williams business.’
