Refractory and insulating materials manufacturer Shinagawa Refractories Australasia is offering voluntary redundancies at its Unanderra, NSW, office due to depreciating building market demand, according to a report by the ABC.
Shinagawa Refractories Australasia manufactures a range of bricks and castables and is one of the largest manufacturer and supplier of refractory and insulating materials in the region. 
It operates three ISO9001 accredited, refractory manufacturing plants in Australia and New Zealand. One factory is situated in Unanderra (NSW), one in Kwinana (WA) and the other in Huntly, New Zealand.
More than 30 jobs are expected to go; jobs will include production, maintenance and office jobs.
The company cited a decrease in demand for its decision to trim staff numbers.
Shinagawa Refractories manufacturing facilities in Japan has state-of-the-art equipment and the latest CIM (computer integrated manufacturing) systems.
Established in 1875 the Shinagawa Refractories Company is Japan’s oldest and most respected refractory supplier. In 1998, Shinagawa Refractories Japan together with Thermal Ceramics Australia acquired the technical and manufacturing operations formerly owned by BHP Refractories, to form Shinagawa Thermal Ceramics, the largest manufacturer and supplier of quality, cutting edge refractory products in Australia and beyond.
Since then, Shinagawa Japan has taken complete ownership of the company, which is now known as Shinagawa Refractories Australasia.
Image: Shinagawa
