Electrical equipment group Schneider Electric announced today it is to close its factory in Kildare next April with loss of 315 jobs.
The company said the closure of its Celbridge plant was part of its "strategy to maintain competitiveness".
It said one the main products made at Celbridge was being phased out, and its replacement range would be manufactured elsewhere.
The Paris-based company is transferring the automated part of its production to a facility in France while the manual line is to be relocated to the Czech Republic.
Earlier in the year Schneider announced the closure of its factory in Ballinasloe, which employed 385 people.
Established in 1977 the factory in Celbridge had employed 265 permanent staff and 50 on a part time basis.
The company said its other Irish factories - Schneider Electric Ireland, also in Celbridge, and Thorsman Ireland in Drogheda - would not be affected by the restructuring.
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