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NEC’s Livingston plant was not reported to have made exactly 800 redundancies. In July 2001, up to 800 jobs—about half the workforce—were said to be at risk. By December, Scotland’s enterprise minister told Parliament that about 600 jobs had been shed during the summer and that NEC had decided to mothball the plant.
The £80m figure referred to an investment reported in 2000 to develop low-powered chips for mobile handsets. The available dates do not establish that the investment preceded the mothball decision by exactly 12 months.
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What happened at NEC’s Livingston plant?
NEC’s Livingston operation faced a restructuring during a global downturn in the chip market. In July 2001, The Independent reported that up to 800 jobs were at risk, but said NEC had not confirmed redundancies and that the number had not been decided. In December, Scottish Enterprise Minister Wendy Alexander told the Scottish Parliament that about 600 jobs had been shed during the summer and that NEC had decided to mothball the plant.
Those reports describe different stages: a July estimate of potential job losses, summer job reductions, and a December mothball decision. The available accounts do not establish that 800 people were ultimately laid off or that the plant permanently closed.
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How the investment and workforce story unfolded
| Date | What was reported | Status and source |
|---|---|---|
| Since 1981 | More than £1bn invested in Livingston. | Historical investment figure reported by The Independent; the article does not provide a year-by-year breakdown. |
| 2000 | £80m invested to develop low-powered chips for mobile handsets. | Reported by The Independent; the report does not give a month or day. |
| April 2001 | NEC said it would halt Scottish DRAM production by March 2003 and shift output to more profitable products. It said no redundancies were planned at that point. | As recounted in The Independent’s July report. |
| 11 July 2001 | Up to 800 jobs—about half the workforce—were reported at risk amid restructuring and a global chip-market slump. | Potential losses, not a confirmed redundancy total. The report said NEC had not settled the number; official Daniel Mathieson was quoted as saying, “We can’t rule it out.” The Independent also said Japanese press reports described plans to end DRAM production a year earlier than previously planned. |
| Summer 2001 | About 600 jobs had been shed. | Figure given by Alexander in her December statement to Parliament. Scottish Parliament transcript. |
| 20 December 2001 | NEC had decided to mothball the Livingston plant. | Alexander told Parliament that market conditions had continued to deteriorate and the summer restructuring had not delivered its intended outcome. She said NEC would review its position if the market improved. Scottish Parliament transcript. |
Why the “800 job cuts” headline needs qualification
The July headline language said “800 Scottish NEC jobs to go,” but the article’s account described up to 800 jobs as being at risk. It explicitly said redundancies were not confirmed and the number had not been decided. That figure should therefore be described as a risk estimate, not as the final count.
The later parliamentary account gives a separate figure: Alexander said about 600 jobs had been shed during the summer. That is the reported completed loss figure in the cited record; it does not convert the earlier estimate into an exact total.
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Why did NEC mothball the plant after investing?
Alexander told Parliament that market conditions had continued to worsen and that the summer downsizing and refocusing had not achieved the intended outcome for the Livingston operation. She said NEC had explained that the decision was “in no way a reflection on the skills and commitment of the work force.” The parliamentary statement records the minister’s account of NEC’s explanation; it is not a separate direct statement from the company.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →The investment and mothball decision are documented at different levels of precision. The £80m investment is dated only to 2000 in the contemporary newspaper report, while the mothball decision was reported to Parliament on 20 December 2001. The sources do not establish an exact 12-month interval or explain the investment’s financial terms, funding, or return.
What “mothball” means in this account
Alexander used the term “mothball” and said NEC would review its position if market conditions improved. The cited record does not establish a permanent closure, a later reopening, or the eventual fate of the site. It is more accurate to describe the December 2001 decision as mothballing than to state that the plant definitively shut for good.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Sources and limits
The July figures and investment details come from The Independent’s contemporary report, which relays NEC comments and reports in the Japanese press. The later workforce figure and mothball decision come from the Scottish Parliament’s official transcript of Alexander’s statement and answers on 20 December 2001. These accounts support a timeline of investment, job risk, summer redundancies and a mothball decision, but not an exact final redundancy count or permanent-closure claim.
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