Factory confirms closure and loss of 300 jobs

Swedish-based SKF, which has a factory in Sundon Park, Luton, plans to switch production to Poland

A Swedish-based business has confirmed it is closing a UK factory with the loss of 300 jobs after more than a century of manufacturing.

SKF began production in Luton in 1911, under the name Skefko Ball Bearing Company, the company's first site outside Sweden.

Closure of the site was first proposed in May, and now the business says there is "no viable alternative".

SKF said it would be closed for production by the end of 2024 in a staged process.

The company, which used to be Luton Town FC's shirt sponsor, said the closure was part of a "consolidation of the group’s spherical roller bearing manufacturing to secure the long-term competitiveness on the European markets."

David Johansson, president of the company's Industrial Region Europe Middle East and Africa, said that after a consultation process "no viable alternative to closing the Luton factory has been found".

"On behalf of the full management team of SKF, I want to thank all our employees in Luton for their many years of commitment and dedication," he said.

Michael Crean, managing director for SKF (UK) Limited thanked Luton colleagues for their dedication and hard work.

"Our attention remains fully focused on supporting our employees and providing assistance across all aspects as individually needed,” he said.

It was proposed in the consultation in May that production would be moved to SKF’s factory in Poznan, Poland.