Plywood company closes, 47 jobs lost

A plywood manufacturer in the south western Adelaide suburb of Camden Park has gone into administration, leaving 47 workers without jobs.

Workers at Brown Wood Panels were told they had lost their jobs at a meeting this morning.

The business has been running for more than 60 years, but cheaper imports and uncertainty in the milling industry have been blamed for the company’s collapse.

“They’re just not making any money,” said Tim Clifton from administrators Clifton Hall.

“The margins are so tight the price per square metre is not enough to make a buck out of it.”

Workers will be paid their full entitlements under a Federal Government scheme, but they will have to wait about four months before they see any of it.

“I was hoping I was going to get paid today, but they said they’re keeping that week’s wage,” one worker told 7News.

Meanwhile, poly pipe manufacturer PPI Corporation at Ottaway has also axed dozens of local jobs.

About 80 workers in South Australia have also been sacked after Boral announced it was slashing 700 jobs from its workforce across Australia to reduce its costs.