Aldel winddown begins

The Aldel foundry in Delfzijl will shut down, starting Wednesday morning. 'By Friday the shutdown will be complete,' announced curator Erik Eshuis. After bankruptcy was declared late December 2013, the foundry remained, operated by 70 employees.

Just Monday morning the Aldel works council announced the foundry would remain open for 6 more months. 'Nothing has been signed yet, but chances are the proposal will be accepted,' said works council chairman, Klaas Pijper. Eshuis thinks Pijper was too hasty with his conclusion. 'Keeping the foundry open would only increase the debt load, eliminating that as an option,' said the curator. In the meantime the option of acquiring cheaper electricity from Germany is still being studied, as a last means of rescuing Aldel. Groningen Seaports and investment company Klesch & Company, the former Aldel owner, are weighing the options, according to Eshuis.