Car components manufacturer Sensata Technologies has said it will cut 160 jobs in Antrim in response the impact of Covid-19 on market demand.
The announcement from the US-owned company comes five months after it confirmed plans to shut its factory in Carrickfergus by 2021, with the loss of 270 jobs.
The firm said on Friday that its Northern Ireland workforce currently stands at 1,058, with 120 jobs cut since in the past five months.
Sensata expanded into the north in late 2014 through the acquisition of Schrader Electronics. Its main activities here involves the design and manufacture of tyre pressure monitoring systems.
READ MORE: Loss of 270 jobs at Sensata deals latest body blow to manufacturing in Co Antrim
In a statement, the company said: “In response to a significant drop in market demand due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, Sensata Technologies has today informed staff of its intention to commence a reduction of the workforce at its site in Antrim.
“It is anticipated that the proposed changes will reduce the workforce by approximately 160 employees across production, engineering and support roles.
“The business will engage in a collective consultation period with employees, during which proposed alternatives to compulsory redundancy will be considered.”
READ MORE: Tyre pressure maker Sensata-Schrader to lay off 125 staff in Carrickfergus
Sensata Technologies’ vice president, Eric Sorret said it had become clear that the effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic will have “a profound and lasting impact” on the demand for direct tyre pressure monitoring systems.
“Vehicle manufacturers around the world are significantly cutting their forecasts for the coming years, with global passenger vehicle demand set to be reduced by between 20 and 30 per cent,” he said.
“This long-term reduction in market demand has already directly affected our Northern Ireland manufactured product lines and we regret to announce that we will be making a series of reductions to the workforce at our Antrim site during 2020 and early 2021.”
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