RELYON, the Wellington-based bed manufacturer, is shedding up to 28 jobs.

The cuts, affecting both factory and office staff, would be spread across the company’s Wellington, Taunton and Okehampton sites.

In addition the company will be moving to short-time working at Wellington and Okehampton from next Monday.

However Relyon is also creating ten jobs in “other support functions” as part of a restructuring of its business.

Managing Director Chris Tattersall said: “The market remains incredibly volatile with business volumes having dropped off rapidly in the last few weeks.

“In addition the product mix has altered and in the context of this it is necessary that we re-structure the business throughout in order to align it with these changes and make it leaner and stronger for the future.”

Mr Tattersall added: “While the business is both financially strong and continues to strengthen its position within the market, the severity and the volatile nature of the current downturn still means that unfortunately we need to bring our costs into line with future predicted volumes.

“One of these measures is the implementation of short time working.”

The short-time working in Wellington will see hours reduced from 39 to 33 a week for some workers.

Relyon currently employs around 500 people across its fours sites in the South-West.

THERE was better news this week from Wellington-based Pritex Ltd, one of Relyon’s sister companies, which employs about 220 workers.

Managing director Andrew Murdoch said the company would emerge from the economic downturn in better shape and added: “We are a strong business and will be looking seriously at the potential acquisition of competitors.”