Credit crunch hits Bentley factory
It looks like the Bentley factory in Crewe, Cheshire will be the first British car manufacturing plant to lay off workers due to the current economic crisis.
Until recently, Bentley has been running a three-day week on three shifts, but now it has taken the decision to move to a four-day week on just two shifts.
The company is reportedly looking for voluntary redundancies before being forced to lay off workers. A cut in the workforce of about 300 people is predicted.
According to the SMMT's figures to the end of September, Bentley sales are down nearly 23% for the year to date from 2007. That figure is expected to worsen as the financial markets remain in turmoil.
