MORE than 40 jobs are to go in Cumnock after a major employer in the town confirmed its plant will close by the end of the year.

The Chronicle was made aware last month that a consultation process had been launched to decide the future of the Caledonian Bottlers site, at Cumnock Business Park, after concerns were raised over the factory's efficiency.

Earlier this month, we reported how staff had been aware of potential plans to close the factory by the end of this year, but that hadn't been confirmed by SHS Group, which the factory is a part of.

However, SHS Group has now confirmed that, after 28 years, the plant is to close and staff will be made redundant.

A spokesperson for the firm said:“Earlier this year a review of infrastructure highlighted the significant level of investment required to keep the Caledonian Bottlers site fully operational.

"Regrettably, the cost was prohibitive.

"An organisational change consultation was subsequently undertaken to explore options to deliver long-term supply chain security.

"The consultation process has ended and the extremely difficult decision has been made to relocate operations to a third-party provider.

"As a result, production at the Caledonian Bottlers site will finish at the end of the year.

"The team at Caledonian Bottlers was informed of the consultation outcome on Friday, October 14."

They added: "The commitment and experience of all the staff at Caledonian Bottlers has been evident throughout the last 28 years.

"We are incredibly proud of the team – for their continued commitment to serving our customers and the resilience they have shown during this unprecedented time.

"We recognise that this is a very difficult time for all Caledonian Bottlers employees and we are providing a range of support measures in terms of training, guidance and advice during the associated redundancy process.”

A source close to the factory told the Chronicle that there had been some confusion about the redundancy process.

They said that staff are not allowed to leave the factory before the reported closure date of December 31, 2022, even if they have a new job, or they risk losing out on their redundacy packages.

This has not been confirmed by SHS.