Avon's purpose-built Hose
factory in Trowbridge |
As demand both in the United Kingdom and
overseas grew for automotive hoses, production was transferred
in May 1978 from Bradford on Avon to a new purpose-built
factory at Trowbridge, the most modern facility of its
kind in Western Europe.
Avon's mastery of hovercraft skirt technology
was underlined in April 1979 with the opening of a new
factory at Chippenham. This was soon doubled in size as
demand rose, not only for hovercraft skirts but for dry
diving suits, containers and other flexible fabrications.
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Later that year, as Britain and
the other leading industrial nations were recovering from
the effects of recession, there was a further major increase
in the price of oil. Six years of recovery, achieved by the
more efficient use of energy and greater productivity, was
brought to a halt. In Britain, the progressive decline of
traditional industries which had been evident for some years,
was accelerated with traumatic social and financial consequences.
Extreme competition for the reduced volume of business caused
a sharp decline in profits in 1980 and, together with the
cost of reorganisation, led to losses being made in the following
two years.
For Avon, an urgent programme of product rationalisation and
costly reorganisation formed the basis of the Group's survival.
Avon became a public limited company on 23rd December 1981.
The first grim effects of recession had already begun with
the closures of the Moseley factory in Manchester and of the
Capon Heaton factory in Birmingham.
The Group sold Avon Medicals because its product development
programme could not be supported from Avon's technical resources.
Avon Industrial Polymers was reorganised to provide a single
management structure and a reduction in the size of its workforce.
After only two years of operation, the second Avon Inflatables
manufacturing unit at Henley was closed and all production
concentrated at the Dafen site.
The Bridgend factory was closed with a loss of 260 jobs, and
the manufacture of remould materials transferred to Melksham.
The axle business was sold and a management buyout agreed
for Avonride suspension equipment. Footwear production and
marketing had already ceased.
But it was at the very heart of the Group, at the Melksham
headquarters that the harshest and most widespread measures
were taken to ensure the Group's survival.
In January 1982, 250 employees in the Tyre company were made
redundant, and in October a drastic reorganisation plan for
Tyres was announced. This resulted in the loss of a further
600 jobs, with total tyre output being reduced by a third
and involving major reductions in both passenger and truck
tyres.
In 1983 the effectiveness of these measures became evident
with a return to profit. |
The search for new business opportunities,
the broadening of the Group's market base and the concentration
of effort to increase productivity were supported by an increased
rate of investment in design and manufacturing resources.
The way ahead was signposted by a number of significant achievements
in various areas of the Group's activities.
The award by the Ministry of Defence of the full development
contract for a new general service respirator of the British
Armed Forces (the Avon S10), provided a major new opportunity
for Avon Industrial Polymers.
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The Avon S10 respirator |
