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Post by melidenlad on Jul 30, 2010 15:08:42 GMT 1
 Union hopes are growing that the Celanese factory in Spondon will remain open, even if only for 5 years or so; or until we have come to the end of this recession. This would be good news for the 500 or so who work at the factory, and also for the 200 or so whose employers depend on contracts from Celanese. Given that the NHS & Derby council intend making so many people redundant, I appreciate that the City needs to make savings in order to save having to pay high interest repayment charges; and these savings will be unpleasant. I fear that the council are trying to cut too deeply and too quickly, Derby is in DANGER of becoming like Liverpool was in the 80s; with business going to other cities. I hope that common sense will prevail before any irreparable cuts are made.
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Post by melidenlad on Aug 1, 2010 12:19:21 GMT 1
If however the Celanese factory should close there will be about two years work dismantling the plant and decontaminating the site. Hopefully some Spondon people can find some work there.
Over the years there have been some bad accidents at Celanese, I remember one back in September-October 63. We were playing in the school yard at Spondon House one diner time, when there was a big bang and black smoke came up from Celanese. Children were screaming and crying; a lot had fathers and brothers working there, and we could hear sirens of fire engines racing to Celanese.
One very brave man an Engineer was killed, trying to shut the plant down.
I later heard that he had told the shift operators to go to safety, and he would try and shut down the plant.
He managed to shut some of it down and saved the lives of a lot of workers; but it exploded before he could close it all down.
I wonder if anyone out there can remember His name?.
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Post by hardtailbiker on Sept 30, 2010 12:04:38 GMT 1
Obviously bad for those who work there if it closes down but it would be better for Spondon on the whole if it closes and consider what they make there then it should be shut down anyway
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Post by melidenlad on Jul 12, 2012 11:17:16 GMT 1
Today the closure date of the main Celanese factory has been announced 31st Oct 2012, along with 412 jobs.
The Clarifoil plant which employs 67 workers, will remain open for the foreseeable future, speaking personally I cannot see this plant staying open longer than 5 years.
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Post by gareth on Nov 10, 2012 15:11:26 GMT 1
Wnat do they make now in the Celanese factory? In my youth it was aeroplane dope and parachute silk during the war and artificial fibre just after the war. I remember the huge redundancies when Cortaulds took over around the end of the fifties and I remember more than one massive fire there. Gareth
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Post by melidenlad on Nov 21, 2012 12:28:39 GMT 1
Production has finally ended at Celanese after 97 years, the factory first opened in 1916.
Some workers are still on site clearing up, before final demolition.
Over the years Celanese has helped keep open Spondon railway station, but now the future of the station seems uncertain. The station has been unstaffed for a number of years now, with only about 4 to 6 trains a day stopping.
I think that it would be a bad thing for Spondon if it were to lose it's railway station after all these years.
One thing they could do would be to use some of the old Celanese land near to the station; and build a car park, and try and promote the station's park & ride potential.
;D
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