Yesterday French tyre manufacturer confirmed plans to close its Dundee plant by mid-2020. 

Workers and union leaders are "devastated" by the surprise development at Michelin Dundee, which currently employs around 850 people.

The news came a matter of weeks after the French manufacturing giant warned about the threat of cheap imports could affect jobs.

Read more: Scots jobs hammerblow as French tyre firm confirms it is shutting its Dundee plant

Union bosses said the closure will represent a "hammer-blow" for Dundee and the manufacturing industry in Scotland.

The Herald:

Timeline of Baldovie plant

1970: A team from Michelin in France tour potential new sites. After nearly settling on Ulster, the company chose a farmland near Baldovie in Dundee. The land was purchased for £156,400.

1972: Michelin opens £4million factory. The first tyres roll off the production line on November 6.

1978: Factory capacity is increased.

1983: Plant starts to make revolutionary run-flat tyres

1997: Factory celebrates its 25th anniversary in Dundee.

2006: Dundee are the first Michelin factory to install own wind turbine generators in a bid to reduce the factory’s environmental impact and energy bills.

2009: When global revenue falls in 2009, Michelin cut hours and production rather than lay off any of the 800 staff – however bosses in Dundee are told to prepare to shut down Baldovie.

2010: John Reid was appointed factory manager after convincing Michelin bosses not to close the site.

2012: Michelin suspends production for three weeks after a sales slump, just months after Alex Salmond hailed the site as “a factory of the future”.

2016: Queen officially opens growing site after expansion the previous year.

2017: Michelin announces a £16.5million expansion of the Baldovie factory, including £4.5m of public cash.

March 2018: Manager Mr Reid leaves Baldovie and is transferred to another Michelin factory.

September 2018: Michelin warns of hundreds of job losses as annual production expected to drop to 5.4million tyres due to influx of cheaper foreign imports.

November 5, 2018: Plans to close Baldovie factory by 2020 are revealed; 845 workers will lose their jobs.