Over time, the availability of cheaper labour in developing countries meant that the site, along with other traditional heavy engineering industries throughout the developed world, fell into a steady decline with the workforce declining in line with the fortunes of the firm itself. The site was sold to Dana Spicer in the late 1990's. Dana Spicer, a multinational industrial engineering firm based in the United States, operated the site up until its closure in December 2002. The company subsequently sold the site after moving the operation to Spain and India, along with most of the machinery and materials.