Restructuring cuts two of market leader’s ten European sites

British Vita is to shut its Redhill sheet plant in the UK by the end of the year, the group announced this morning. The Caleppio unit in Italy is also to be closed as the result of a restructuring plan which will reduce the number of VitasheetGroup sites from ten to eight. The company has begun consultations with the employees involved at the plants which suffer from high costs and duplicated products, the company says. The former Doeflex Redhill sheet extrusion operation is relatively new, having opened around 1999 when the company moved from its outdated premises in the town. The plant’s focus is primarily on polystyrene sheet products. VitasheetGroup has also announced plans to establish a European Research & Development Centre which is to be located within the Metzeler site at Julich, near Dusseldorf. The restructuring programme is spearheaded by Rob Harris, new managing director of VitasheetGroup, who joined British Vita, now owned by Texas Pacific, from BP in May.