The company says an agreement with the works council there will allow it to “adjust capacity and strengthen competitiveness” of European operations.

A social plan will see the work force reduced by approximately 300 people under a plan to be implemented next year.

The Montataire plant was once part of the Harris Web business and was acquired and modernised under Heidelberg’s ownership, while Nantes was part of the former Creusot Loire business acquired out of receivership by Goss.

Goss – now owned by Shanghai Electric, an international group with annual revenues of approximately $8 billion – had earlier substantially cut back manufacturing at its own historic plant in Preston, UK.

President and chief executive Jochen Meissner says he regrets the impact on employees at Montataire, but says this is an “essential, proactive step in our plan to rationalize and integrate Goss resources in Europe to deliver the highest level of value to our customers”.

He emphasises that Goss maintains a global network that includes substantial manufacturing sites in Europe, America and Asia. Facilities in Europe include development, manufacturing and support centres for key Goss products including the Sunday 5000 and 4000, and M-600 heatset presses, M-600 Folia web-to-sheet perfector, FPS, Universal and Uniliner newspaper presses as well as splicers, pasters and heatset dryers.