Dundee’s manufacturing industry has been dealt another blow with the loss of an estimated 30 jobs at furniture-maker Samuel Bruce.
The company, based at Claverhouse industrial park, has entered a process leading to liquidation, and arrangements have been made to auction its equipment.
It was initially thought 50 jobs were affected by the company’s demise but it has emerged that the actual figure was around 30.
One ex-worker said it was “more like a family than a company,” and the closure of the factory had left people fearing for their future.
Samuel Bruce was founded in 1983 and specialised in designing and making office furniture, including desks, tables and storage units, and furniture for oil rigs and student accommodation such as bunk beds, wardrobes and lockers.
Clients have ranged from a private school in Surrey to the London office of the National Bank of Dubai.
As recently as February the company claimed its product list was going “from strength to strength.”
The Dundee operation included the factory, customer services, accounts and logistics.
The London office included a showroom and had design, sales and marketing functions.
It is not known how many jobs have been lost at the operations in the capital.Close-knit firmThe former worker, who did not want to be named as he is still waiting to find out if he will get a redundancy payment, said he and his colleagues are now hunting for new jobs after the loss of their close-knit community.
“Most of the employees had been here ranging up until about 25 years. They started as young laddies when they left school, and the minimum anyone had been there was probably about 10 years.
“It will be very difficult for the workers to find jobs but there are a lot of good, experienced guys and girls who worked there and we are hoping everyone manages to find new employment.”
The man said staff knew there were problems but were still taken aback when the business shut its doors.
He said, “The company has tried to soften the blow as much as it can. We knew the situation wasn’t great and there had been difficulty with new orders, but the building closing still came as a surprise.
“We were always hoping someone would take us over as we were a great, well respected company but obviously that hasn’t happened.”
“It’s a sad indictment of the times that the company was left with no options but to close the doors. It had been extremely busy but it was orders going forward that was the problem.”
A wide range of the company’s equipment including machines, vehicles, office furniture and components is due to be auctioned soon, with a viewing for potential buyers being held at the factory on October 20 and the bidding closing two days later.