An electronics firm is to shed around half of its workforce in Scotland.
Printer manufacturer OKI will reduce staff levels at its plant in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, from 350 to around 175.
The factory, which opened in 1987, is one of the biggest manufacturers in the area and employed around 500 people at its peak.
An OKI Europe Ltd spokeswoman said: “Last month our parent company, OKIElectric Ltd, announced reformation of its printer division globally.
“These changes are essential to enable the printer business to remain competitive by meeting the growing needs of our customers whilst delivering profitability to both OKI and our partners.
“As a result of this reformation, changes will be made to the facility based in Cumbernauld.
“This site, which currently supports both products and consumables for the printer division in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region, is expected to change its focus in the future to specialise in OKI’s printer consumables business as a dedicated consumables manufacturing facility.
“Sadly, this does mean there would be a reduction in staff across the different divisions currently based in Cumbernauld.
“We estimate this could be in the region of 50% of the total workforce based at this site, impacting approximately 175 staff.
“We are aware this will be a significant blow to our staff and to the local community in Cumbernauld and as we enter into a period of consultation, our priority is to support affected employees whilst we go through this difficult process therefore no further details can be provided at this time.”
Finance Secretary John Swinney said: “The announcement today will be a major concern for OKI employees and their families and our thoughts go out to them. We are determined to do everything we can to maintain as much of OKI’s operation in Cumbernauld.
“Through our agencies Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International we have been working with OKI to support the company.Today I had a useful discussion with the local management and we will continue to engage with OKI both in Scotland and in Japan to make sure everything possible is done to mitigate any potential job losses.
“In the event of any redundancies we will provide a package of tailored help and support through our Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) initiative in order to minimise the time individuals are out of work.”