'We cannot afford to lose likes of Bombardier'
THE head of one of the most powerful business organisations in the UK says that the British economy cannot afford to lose Derby train-maker Bombardier.
Richard Lambert, director-general of the Confederation of British Industry, made his comments following a visit to the Litchurch Lane firm to meet with Bombardier's UK chairman Colin Walton.
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PRAISE FOR FIRM: Richard Lambert.
The CBI, which represents around 200,000 businesses, is putting its weight behind the country's manufacturers and believes that a company like Bombardier, which employs 2,500 people, has an important role to play in the country's economic recovery.
But Bombardier has said it faces a gap in its order book next year and is hoping to fill it by bidding for Government rail contracts. If it is unsuccessful it may have to make redundancies. It would also have an impact on the 12,000 people employed in its supply chain.
Following his trip to Bombardier, Mr Lambert said: "The site is a very impressive production facility with hi-tech equipment and expertise. What Bombardier does in Derby is high value work and as a country we can't afford to lose it."
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Comments
by concerned citizen, Derby
Monday, February 22 2010, 11:59AM
“Mr Lambert has hit the nail on the head. Without this plant, Derby, the East Midlands and the UK would be very much the worse off.
We need Government to consider the big picture when spending tax payers' money on rail infrastructure. It would be madness to lose Bombardier's expertise, and completely indefensible to put so many jobs at risk at a time of high employment.”