Kimball Electronics, the U.S. headquartered contract electronics manufacturer, is to close its plant in Longford, Ireland, where 66 jobs are expected to be lost over the next seven months.

The company said it needs to consolidate European operations and is moving the production done at Longford to its plant in Poznan, Poland.

In a statement, Kimball said its operation in Longford "has been operating at a financial loss" in recent months and an attempt to sell the plant had failed. The company blamed its decision on the high cost of operating in Ireland.

Kimball set up the Irish operation — which focuses on making parts for the automotive sector — in 2006.

It is one of the group's smaller operations, with the plant size being just 37,000 sq ft, while the Poznan facility covers twice this area.

Kimball also has a factory Bridgend, Wales, as well as manufacturing sites in China, Thailand, Mexico and several locations in the U.S, including large scale operations at its headquarters in Jasper, IN.