Burnley manufacturer gearing up for return to full production

Speaking to Burnley.co.uk, Futaba Manufacturing UK managing director Kevin Schofield said 75% of the workforce should be back at the Liverpool Road site this week following a modest reopening last week to launch its start-up plan.

All staff are undergoing safety inductions to ensure social distancing and other measures relating to the Covid-19 situation can be adhered to, and Mr Schofield said: “We have been totally focused on making our site safe for our employees.

"Our senior team has been working hard over the lockdown period to ensure this can happen and like the rest of employees, took a 20% pay cut to help support the business during this time."

And in positive news for the town, he added that he does not expect any redundancies at the company as a result of the pandemic.

While he cannot give a definite date, at some point over summer, all staff could be back on site should car sales recover well.

“We’ve text staff three times a week to let them know the latest situation and provided full updates on our website. No one can estimate how the economy will play out, car sales in particular are difficult to read. However, car sales could indeed be one of the first sectors to bounce back and we are keen to see what incentives the government offers,” Mr Schofield said.

Futaba has donated £100 a week to Burnley FC in the Community to go towards their food bank, and also donated PPE to Pendleside Hospice.

“It really has brought everyone together, the response of our town has been really good,” added Mr Schofield.