Sun Microsystems shuts down Scottish manufacturing

Sun announced last week that it is closing down its manufacturing arm of its plant in Scotland with the loss of between 120 and 136 jobs.

The job cuts are part of Sun's plans, announced earlier this year, to shed between 4,000 and 5,000 jobs. The plant in Linlithgow, West Lothian, currently employs around 800 people.

Sun said in a statement: "Sun will close its manufacturing function of its Linlithgow site by the end of its fiscal year, which ends June 2009. The manufacturing arm of Linlithgow accounts for approximately 15-17 percent of Sun's Scottish workforce."

Other functions of the Linlithgow site, such as the Remote Monitoring Center, the Sun Solution Center, the IT Networks Operations Center and the Executive Briefing Center, will not be affected, according to the statement. Sun "continues to make choices to align strategically, geographically and operationally with its plan for long term growth", the statement concluded.

The facility in Scotland also acts as Sun's briefings and operations centers for the United Kingdom. According to the statement, these will not be affected.