ONE of Colchester’s most successful businesses is making 44 workers redundant.

Flakt Woods, based in Axial Way, Colchester, has also put plans to hire 12 apprentices from Colchester Institute on hold.

The firm, which makes industrial fans, including for Olympics stadiums, says it needs to change its workforce to cope better with busy and quiet periods.

In total, 30 staff from the factory floor and 14 from the office are working a 30-day notice period ending on Friday, July 11.

A statement released yesterday said: “Flakt Woods is commencing a redundancy process at its Colchester site as part of a programme of accommodating fluctuations in factory load and improving its ability to meet customer demand.

“The company is experiencing challenging trading circumstances due to a shift in market conditions – specifically the ability to meet customer demands for shorter lead times and manage the increasing bespoke nature of some of our product offering."

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