Floform started trading nearly 50 years ago

Floform, in Welshpool, announced last months that it was looking to make the cuts after losing a major order from America.

Union officials with Amicus are in talks with management but are not optimistic that the jobs will be saved.

Floform has been in business since 1959 and employs 150 staff and has customers in North America and Europe.

John Hamilton, regional officer with engineering union Amicus, said: "Unfortunately it appears very unlikely that the number of redundancies which will take effect among our members will be any different from the number that we were given before Christmas".

Floform has been forced to cut its workforce by more than a third after the bankruptcy of its biggest customer, the Delphi Corporation - part of the General Motors group - in October last year.

It's going to be a very challenging year John Hamilton, Amicus

Executives said the redundancies were part a "major restructuring" of the business, which makes electrodes for spark plugs and precision parts for fuel injectors used in diesel engines.

Mr Hamilton added: "The union's first priority is to deal with the interests of our members who are facing a very uncertain future without employment.

"Our second priority is to work with the company to try to secure long-term job security for the rest of the workforce.

"It's going to be a very challenging year and we want to focus on how the company will move forward in the next 12 months."