Successful firm hit by Air crisis (From Western Telegraph)

Successful firm hit by Air crisis

A Pembrokeshire company forced to lay off 20 workers because of the crisis in the airline industry is seeking new contracts in the military sector.

Pembroke Dock-based DPS Composites specialises in the manufacture of aircraft interiors and has cut its workforce because of doubts over some contracts.

Peter Webster, the companys deputy head of aerospace, admits the industry has got the jitters since the September 11th terrorist attack on New York.

The swift reaction of passengers has taken us by surprise, no industry has experienced anything quite like it before. It was a massive shock to the world and the ripples as still there," he says.

As a company, we are heavily dependent on aerospace contracts. The potential market is still huge but it is very jittery. Some of the contracts we were about to start work on have been put on hold, but some of the other programmes are still in place and appear to be solid."

It was revealed this week that the airline industry has lost a third of its passenger capacity since September 11th.

It has been a difficult week for a company which has thrived since it was established in Pembroke Dock two years ago.

It had increased the workforce at its Ferry Lane factory to 140 and was on the point of recruiting more staff. We havent taken the decision to make redundancies lightly, stresses Mr Webster. We are used to seeing new faces coming in through the doors. It has been difficult telling staff that their jobs are no longer there, particularly those who have been in a similar position before they came to work here."

DPS Composites remains confident of its long-term prospects and hopes to be in a position to take staff back on when the industry stabilises.

It had recently taken on its first military contract, producing a wing section for an unmanned aircraft. Ironically, its services could soon be in demand from this sector.

Military programmes tend to be long-term and fairly stable, says Mr Webster. Initially, it has not been big business for us but it is a very big market with the potential for substantial growth."