Beatson Clark, which has been making glass in S Yorks since the 18th century could axe up to 80 jobs at its 2 factories in Barnsley & Rotherham. Beatson Clark says the threatened job cuts are the result of soaring energy costs & increased capacity in the glassmaking industry.Any job losses are expected to be spread from Dec/mid-2006, & company bosses say they hope to achieve them largely by voluntary redundancy. Beatson Clark employs around 500 people & is currently investing £1.5M on more automated technology. The firm says it is getting rid of one low-volume production line making small glass containers, & says it must reduce its costs to stay competitive. Sales & marketing director Lynn Sidebottom said: "There are two things going on; soaring energy costs & more capacity becoming available in the industry.
