JOBS are going at a Huddersfield manufacturing firm.

International precision engineering group VTL, based at Longroyd Bridge , will axe a number of posts at its technical centre in Bradley.

The company has not disclosed the number of jobs involved nor the timescale for the redundancies to take effect.

But it is thought up to 50 posts are earmarked to disappear.

In a statement VTL said: “Whilst any headcount reduction is regrettable, on this occasion the redundancies have been necessary to ensure the long-term focus and competitiveness of the Huddersfield operations.

“VTL continues to remain a strong and progressive manufacturing group with expanding capabilities in the UK, USA and India.

“The group’s capabilities continue to support the attainment of new business, some of which will start production at the Huddersfield plant in late 2013.”

The company has its headquarters at St Thomas’ Road, Longroyd Bridge, and also operates from premises at Station Road, Bradley, which it acquired in 2011.

It also has operations in the USA, Japan and India.

VTL specialises in designing and manufacturing precision parts and assemblies for turbochargers, transmissions and gearboxes for leading engineering, truck and automotive companies – with customers including Cummins, Toyota and Renault Nissan.

The company traces its origins to 1919. Its forerunner firm, Sagar-Richards, focused on forging, machining and casting components, before being bought by French-owned Valeo Group in 1997.

The current owners acquired the business from Valeo in a management buy-out in November 2001.

At the time, the company posted revenues of £8m and employed 80 people.

More recently, employee numbers reached 200 at Huddersfield out of a group total of 260.

Its latest projections for 2014 included revenues of £100m.

The group expanded with the takeover of precision engineering firm Taylor & Whiteley Ltd in 2006 and Cleckheaton-based Automatic Components (Stanningley) Ltd in October 2010.

In 2009, it transferred some of its operations from an outdated mill buildings at Luddendenfoot, Halifax, to a 15,000sq ft factory next door to its St Thomas’ Road HQ.

The group also invested more than £300,000 in a new forge and another £200,000 in new machining centres as part of the project.