A plant which manufactures vacuum cleaners in Tralee, County Kerry, is to close with the loss of 70 jobs.
Glen Dimplex, which owns the Dimplex Cleaning Systems plant at Clash in Tralee blamed the closure on competition from low-cost economies.
Glen Dimplex, an Irish-owned company, acquired the former Goblin Ireland plant in Tralee eight years ago. At its peak that plant employed up to 200 people but the workforce has been falling steadily since the takeover.
More than 40 people were made redundant two years ago and the plant went on short-time working on a number of occasions since then.
In a statement, the group said the plant had been under constant cost pressure for the past five years and, despite investing in new product lines, it had been unable to maintain its viability. The closure is expected to begin on a phased basis in April.
SIPTU, which represents the majority of workers at the plant, has described the closure as a huge blow to Tralee. A meeting between plant management and SIPTU is scheduled for Thursday.
