| Ladybird Books to close Loughborough plant |
Ladybird Books' printing plant, in Loughborough, considered to be one of the most efficient of its kind in the world, is to close with the loss of 210 jobs.
The move is a result of rationalisation by its owner, Penguin Books, part of the giant Pearson group. The production of 20 million books a year will be outsourced from Penguin's UK headquarters in London, and this is likely to create about 40 new jobs.
Unfortunately this still means 170 workers will lose their jobs!
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| Ladybird delivered books to the world for years |
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The move has come as something of a surprise, for Penguin has not hesitated to invest in the latest technology to keep the factory in Loughborough as an efficient book production unit. A variety of MAN Rolands provide the printing facilities and, in 1996, Penguin installed what it claimed to be the fastest case bookbinding line anywhere, using a brace of MBO machines.
At the heart of the problem has been the specialist nature of the Loughborough works, resulting in high overheads, a severe problem as recent sales have been in decline. This inability to move into a wider range of book production, or for Penguin to sub-contract spare capacity would have been major factors in the reason for closure.
Current publishing director Michael Herridge said, "Certainly, it's very sad for Loughborough, but Ladybird is very much a part of growing up in the U.K. and we'll go forward publishing to the strengths of the Ladybird brand". "Essentially, we are closing our manufacturing operation and moving distribution to Harmondsworth. Despite our move to London, Ladybird's individuality and its strengths and skills will continue as a clearly defined unit. We will maintain our editorial independence and work alongside Puffin and Warne."
The Ladybird business, with its strong home learning list and Disney tie-in titles, has been a highly profitable part of the Penguin business. Its separate location is historical rather than strategic and moving it to London brings all the Penguin companies under one roof.
| Article
from 1998-11-30 |
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Article
REF 61 |
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| Random
fact |
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In 1961 Wills & Hepworth changed their Ladybird logo from that of an open-winged ladybird to one with closed wings. |
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