A number of engineers have been made redundant, along with marketing and administration staff. The engineers have gone from High-Point's land transport division, which has been hit by cuts in the public roads budget.
"The redundancies are part of a continuing reorganisation," Hingley said. "This includes a process of people coming and going." High-Point embarked on a restructuring programme in 1997 in an attempt to turn the business around. The policy paid off last year when the firm announced a pre-tax profit of £1.8m on £26m turnover in the year to 31 July 1998, compared with a £13.6m loss the year before.
Hingley said the company was continuing to recruit staff as it built up its management consultancy side.
"We are recruiting like mad for our Asia Pacific project recovery business. The net effect will be an increase in staff," he said.
Hingley said the move away from traditional engineering to focus on management consultancy and project management reflected changes in the market.
