SEVENTY-FIVE jobs are to go at a leading engineering firm in Huddersfield, it has been announced.

The move by Lockwood-based gear manufacturer David Brown means it will lose a sixth of its workforce and follows a review of its UK business led by Steve Watson, who was appointed managing director for David Brown in Europe last October.

David Brown said the review – looking at customer requirements, performance targets and efficiencies – had identified “further necessary changes to the company’s structure and capability.”

In a statement, the firm said it was “with great regret” that about 75 roles would no longer be needed.

Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman said he was very concerned by the job losses at the firm, which employs about 450 people at its Park Works site.

The company said the restructuring aimed to reposition David Brown’s capabilities, build a sustainable and efficient business and strengthen its long-term presence in the UK.

Mr Watson said: “We are undertaking many initiatives to ensure we are better placed to compete in the global market, deliver the efficiencies our customers expect and enable us to build a stronger and more agile customer-focused business.

“As the mix of our business continues to change this will lead, regrettably, to some redundancies but it is essential that we adapt and flex the business to improve competitiveness and deliver our customer expectations.

“Our priority in the coming weeks is to work closely with all the people affected by the proposed changes and help them as much as we can.

“We will, of course, be exploring ways of avoiding compulsory redundancies and minimising the number of employees affected.

“We will also look at offering alternative employment elsewhere within the company and associated companies and exploring the possibility of voluntary redundancy or early retirement.

“We have an ongoing responsibility to all our employees and customers to ensure we have the right capabilities and skills necessary to strengthen our future in the UK. Transforming the UK business to secure its long-term future is critical for David Brown.”

Mr Watson said the company had invested heavily in new skills for developing markets like wind and tidal energy – creating more than 150 new roles – and remained committed to retaining and developing the skills it needed and to its apprentice scheme.

The company said the job losses did not affect plans for a new state-of-the-art centre in Mirfield, which were progressing.

Some 270 staff are due to move from Lockwood to the new site which will include a centre for excellence and a wind engineering research facility.

Mr Sheerman said the company, owned by Scottish-based Clyde Blowers, was trying to reduce its historic reliance on defence contracts and develop gearbox technology for other products.

But the MP said manufacturers like David Brown were being undermined by cuts to the armed forces and Prime Minister David Cameron’s stance on Europe.