Business

AstraZeneca, the pharmaceutical manufacturer, is to axe 1,400 across Europe as it restructures its packaging operations.

The company will close three sites: Porrino in Spain, Destelbergen in Belgium and Umea in Sweden.

Jobs will also be cut at its facilities in Macclesfield and Sodertalje in Sweden.

The company said it will invest further in its Wuxi plant in China to support the company's continuing growth in the Asia Pacific markets. The investment will provide additional packing and formulation capabilities, it added.

AstraZeneca believes the redundancies, which will be made by 2013, will drive efficiencies across its global supply chain, enable it to respond to customer demand and equip the business for growth in emerging markets.

David Smith, executive vice president, said: "These moves are a continuation of our programme to improve the organisation's productivity and efficiency.

"It moves the supply process closer to the customer, responding to their requirements and improving the security of the product wherever it is bought."

In April, the company launched a tender for its packaging spend in Europe and the US. At the time, it said the aim was to deliver savings and to consolidate the supply base to fewer, more cost-effective suppliers.

The company said it would give a full update on 29 January when it publishes its full-year results.