Goss International is to merge its two manufacturing facilities in France, as part of what it calls continuous efforts to gain efficiency and deliver more value to customers through its worldwide manufacturing platform. Under a plan being discussed with works councils, assembly of Uniliner and Universal presses will be moved from the former Creusot-Loire plant in Nantes, to the commercial-focussed former Heidelberg site at Montataire, where Goss M-600, Sunday 4000 and Sunday 5000 presses are currently manufactured. The very responsive Nantes plant is currently an assembly-only facility, drawing parts from other Goss sites – including Montataire – and third-party suppliers to build single and double-width presses quickly to order, and includes an extensive design unit. Montataire – which used to build N-series newspaper presses including European versions of the V-15 and V-25 under its Harris ownership – still has casting and machining facilities, and was modernised under its Heidelberg ownership. Goss says it remains committed to its full product portfolio and to serving customers through its global manufacturing and support network. The restructuring plan is part of a series of steps to adjust capacity in response to current economic and market conditions. Most recent measures have included workforce reductions at sites in The Netherlands and the United States in late 2008 and early 2009 and temporary furloughs or ‘short-time’ work schedules at several sites. An upcoming restructuring plan intended to further reduce staff levels at a facility in Preston, UK – where manufacturing has already ceased – has also been confirmed.