A SCOTTISH firm has pledged to create 600 new jobs by relocating to the site of a former tyre factory.
Textile manufacturers Wilkie have announced they will close their factory in Kirriemuir, Angus and move just under 20 miles south to the site of the former Michelin factory in Dundee.
Bosses said the older facility was no longer fit for purpose and that because more people live in Dundee, it would make it easier to expand the business.
Wilkie has said it will work with its employees to ensure their “voices are heard” – but said they expected the new Dundee site to be the company’s home for the next 150 years.
Chief executive Hamish Rowan said: “This move marks the beginning of a new era, creating a home for Wilkie for the next 150 years and empowering the team to realise Wilkie's ambitious and sustainable growth plans for the future.”
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes (above) welcomed the move to the former Michelin factory, which is now known as the Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc (MSIP).
She said: “Wilkie’s involvement will create and protect jobs and add fresh impetus to the Parc’s future development.
“The Scottish Government has supported MSIP since its inception. This is an important day for Dundee and for our wider efforts to transform and grow Scotland’s green economy.”
The firm has pledged to make the site in Kirriemuir safe when it departs and to support its “redevelopment”.
Michelin quit Dundee five years ago resulting in the loss of around 850 jobs.
Dundee Council leader Mark Flynn said that the MSIP aimed to “create employment for local people” and the Wilkie move “promises significant job creation” for the city.
