AN AIR of uncertainty remains over a major Basingstoke factory as the multi-national conglomerate that owns it closes in on a deal which could shift the focus of the company.

The Linde Group, which owns the forklift truck plant in Kingsclere Road, had a pre-conditional offer of £8.2billion for the UK industrial gas giant BOC accepted earlier this month.

As a result of this deal, described by the company's president and chief executive as a "transforming transaction", the focus of the group looks set to switch to gases, leaving the future of the engineering factory - which employs about 800 people - unsure.

In a special company newsletter, Hubertus Krossa, Linde's member of the executive board responsible for the material handling division, which includes the forklift plant, indicated that the division could be sold.

"The planned acquisition of BOC would certainly increase the importance of the gas segment within the group," he said. "Material handling would then only play a more marginal role.

"This cannot be in the long-term interest of material handling. It would be strong enough to stand alone, rather than be marginalised in the newly-formed group. We are currently looking into all strategic options, but nothing has been decided yet."

However, he also said that should a sale take place, Linde would try to ensure the future of material handling as one company.

"Even if material handling was sold, we would ensure that all agreements made with our employees (in particular regarding the protection of jobs and pensions) will be safeguarded and material handling remains one company," said Mr Krossa.

"All that would change for our 19,000 employees is the owner of the company. All sorts of investors have been interested in material handling for years. Thanks to our success, we are very attractive. However, it is much too early to talk about potential buyers for material handling now."

First published: Monday, March 20, 2006