Arbroath can ill afford to lose highly skilled jobs so it was with a heavy heart that I learned of the collapse of John M Henderson late last week.
My heart goes out to each of the 89 workers at the firm who found themselves unexpectedly dumped on to the dole queue when the administrators were called in.
There can be few worse feelings than to have the rug of financial security pulled out from under your feet.
And for many, especially longer-term staff, the thought of going out and getting a new job will be a daunting one.
I have witnessed many similar situations in my time as a reporter the closure of NCR’s manufacturing plant in Dundee was a particularly black day but I never fail to be impressed by the resilience and ingenuity of those who find themselves caught up in such difficult situations.
At NCR, hundreds of similarly skilled workers, many of whom were the second and third generation of their family to work there, were released into the jobs market all at the same time.
It was an incredibly tough time for many families but, slowly, little shafts of light emerged as new opportunities arose and new careers were forged.
The collapse of Realtime Worlds in Dundee for a long time seen as the great white hope of the video gaming sector in the city was another case in point.
Overnight, dozens of skilled digital designers, technicians and engineers found themselves out of work through no fault of their own.
But they started afresh and several of Dundee’s up-and-coming digital companies of today retain DNA from Realtime and other major city studios such as Vis and DMA Design.
For the staff at Henderson’s I hope they can see beyond the immediate pain they are experiencing.
There are opportunities out there the oil and gas industry is always trying to recruit for skilled roles for example and, as cold comfort as it may be right now, I am confident that such a knowledgeable labour force will be in strong demand.
As for the company itself, it is sad to see such a well known and respected name reach the end of the line.
What became the modern-day Henderson’s first blinked into the light almost 150 years ago and its reputation as a world leader, particular in the supply of coke oven machinery to the global steel industry, went before it.
Efforts are now being made to market the group as a going concern by joint administrators Blair Nimmo and Geoff Jacobs.
I wish them well in their efforts to breathe new life into a Scottish engineering giant.
Meanwhile, the local economy was dealt a second body blow on Tuesday after Low & Bonar announced plans to shift part of its Dundee-based Bonar Yarns business to Abu Dhabi.
Ever since the firm opened an ultra-modern production plant in Abu Dhabi, speculation has surrounded the fate of the historic works in the city.
L&B may have started off life in Dundee but it is now a global business and it is clear that decisions are taken without sentiment.
Unfortunately that means that almost 70 workers are now left facing an uncertain festive season ahead.
Like their colleagues in Arbroath, I wish them the best of luck as a new chapter in their lives unfolds.