Twenty-four jobs in Launceston will go after emergency vehicle equipment manufacturer Hazard Systems told staff it would move operations to Melbourne.
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The company will close its Launceston arm by the end of 2017 and has offered positions in Melbourne to affected workers.
Redundacy packages will be available to staff who choose not to move interstate, Hazard Systems managing director Brenton Heath said.
“We will also be working with local government and industry to facilitate redeployment of staff and will be exploring retraining and reskilling programs.”
Consultation with Launceston staff is scheduled to start early next year, Mr Heath said.
Many staff members had expected the news to come before the announcement on Tuesday, he said.
“It allows them to have a decent amount of time to have a think about what they want to do.”
Hazard’s engineering, research and development team will continue to work out of a small facility in Launceston.
The business, founded in Launceston 30 years ago, has decided on relocating after buying competitor Britax Automotive Equipment in 2014.
Distribution and warehousing from Launceston had grown costly for Hazard and inconvenient for its customers, Mr Heath said.
“We also lacked the capacity to grow our manufacture in Launceston.
“Centralising all manufacture and assembly in Melbourne was our best and only option.”