A Birmingham firm hammered by competition from overseas has shut its doors - while a city electric blankets specialist is in administration.
K & S Plating, at Balsall Heath, has closed after 85 years after increasingly losing business to the Far East. A final nail in the coffin was a £40,000 bill to meet new regulations.
The final 18 members of staff have left, although managing director Linda Evans said the company had helped eight people find other posts. She said: "If people have been with you for a long time, you feel guilty, you want to help. It's very sad."
Nechells firm Winterwarm has collapsed into administration. Just 12 people remain on site.
