Bathroom supplier to shed 164 jobs

More than 160 jobs at GWA Group will go as the household fixtures supplier undergoes a major restructure of its manufacturing operations.

Bathroom and kitchen fixtures supplier GWA will shed 164 jobs as it closes its manufacturing operations in favour of overseas suppliers.

About 88 positions will be terminated by the end of the year when GWA closes its factory in the Sydney suburb of Wetherill Park.

Another 76 positions are set to go as the company phases out its Norwood plastics operation in Adelaide over the next three years.

The owner of well-known bathroom and kitchen brands, including Caroma, Dorf and Fowler, says the redundancies represent about 10 per cent of its workforce of 1,671 people across Australia.

It says the lay-offs are part of a restructure of its supply chain so that plastics and vitreous china products will be sourced from its established overseas suppliers.

"That transition will be conducted in a timely and orderly manner, with no supply shortages anticipated," the company said in a statement released on Wednesday.

The company said it had begun divesting its Dux Hot Water and Brivis Heating and Cooling businesses.

The redundancies, asset writedowns and costs involved with the establishment of a new innovation and technology centre in Sydney will result in about a $29 million charge for 2014/15.

However, GWA expects a positive cash flow of about $24 million for the 2015 financial year due to the sale of its Wetherill Park site with annualised savings of about $4 million.

GWA said these developments would negatively impact on its retained earnings and affect the group's ability to pay a fully-franked dividend.

But it said directors would "actively consider options to return proceeds to shareholders" subject to the successful sale of Dux and Brivis.


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world