PRODUCTION staff at one of York’s oldest manufacturers have been put on short-time working in response to the downturn in the economy.

Twenty-eight employees at Eborcraft furniture makers, based at Chessingham Business Park in Dunnington, have been affected by the temporary measure.

A couple of employees who were taken on as temporary staff in recent times have also been made redundant, said a spokesman.

He said the measures had been taken as a temporary measure to protect the long-term future of the business, and switching staff to short-time working had helped keep the number of redundancies down to a minimum.

The spokesman said: “We have had to take these measures as a result of the general downturn in the economy, which is having an impact on us as it is many businesses.”

The firm, which was established 115 years ago, manufactures bespoke natural wood veneer furniture, concentrating largely on the office market.

Its website said it uses the latest machinery and technology, combined with a traditional hand-finished touch, to create high-quality furniture, and its state-of-the-art cutting, drilling, assembly and finishing processes means it can be flexible in its design and production.

Eborcraft was formerly based at Huntington, but moved to a 28,000 sq ft site at Chessingham Business Park in the mid 2000s, after acquiring a former Norwich Union Life data centre.

The new building accommodated Eborcraft’s state-of-the-art cutting, drilling, assembly and finishing processes, which allowed it the flexibility of building anything from workstations to superior boardroom or reception furniture.