Waterford Crystal to create 100 jobs

THE manufacture of Waterford Crystal products is to resume in the brand’s spiritual home in June, with nearly 100 permanent jobs being created as a result, the company’s new owner has announced.

The newly-named WWRD Group Holdings – which owns the Waterford Crystal, Wedgwood and Royal Doulton brands – is set to open two new 1.5 acre facilities, as part of a €20 million plus investment, in June.

A new manufacturing plant for Waterford Crystal will open on the site of the former ESB regional office on the Mall in Waterford city centre, while a secondary facility – for distribution, packaging and polishing services (also incorporating a visitor centre) will be built at an as yet unspecified site on the outskirts of the city.

Between 80 and 90 full-time staff will be employed at the main facility, with another 30 to 40 temporary staff to be taken on depending on seasonal demand. This will bring to around 150, the number of jobs created at WWRD since last March, but is still well below the 480 Irish jobs lost when the old Waterford Wedgwood went into receivership in January 2009, prior to being acquired by private equity firm KPS Capital Partners.

The group’s new management said it had “no number in mind” in terms of how many of the company’s previous staff members may retrieve jobs at the new company. Recruitment for the new jobs will begin in March.

Waterford City Council will own the two new facilities, but WWRD will operate them fully on an eight-year extendable lease. The group may also expand the facilities over the next four years.

WWRD chief executive Pierre de Villemejane said yesterday that the deal with Waterford City Council is aimed at ensuring the uninterrupted future manufacturing of crystal products in the city. “We sincerely hope that this will prove to be a crucial step on the road to recovery for the city and the region,” he added.

Production at the new site will, however, fall from more than one million high volume pieces to 40,000 high-end hand crafted pieces – with the emphasis on quality rather than quantity.

“We want to keep Waterford Crystal as a premium brand,” management explained.