Sales in the masterbatch division bucked the company's downward trend

Sales in the masterbatch division bucked the company's downward trend

Masterbatch and additives manufacturer Clariant plans to make 1,500 redundancies in its manufacturing operations as part of wider company cutbacks. The firm this week said it plans 4,000 redundancies across its business. Other areas to be affected are general administration, infrastructure and the supply chain.

The move came with the announcement that sales at the company dropped 3% last year to SFr8.516bn (E5.411bn) compared with 2002. Profits fell SFr169m (E107m) to SFr2.729bn (E1.734bn). However, sales in Clariant’s masterbatches division rose 5% to SFr1.041bn (E662m).

PRW reported last August the company planned cost-cutting measures, which included selling its ether and electronics materials businesses. A Clariant spokesman declined to say whether the cuts would be in its polymer-related products. “We need to talk to the working council first and talk to our employees.” He said Clariant planned to make the cuts by the end of 2005.