More than 150 people are to lose their jobs at toilet maker Armitage Shanks.
The jobs are going at two different factories
The cuts are being made at the Excelsior factory in Stoke-on-Trent, where 123 of the 250-strong workforce are being laid off.
A further 50 jobs are going at Armitage's plant near Rugely, Staffordshire.
The firm's parent company American Standard said new labour-saving equipment was the reason for the move.
American Standard said it had invested in pressure casting equipment, which meant it no longer needed to employ people to make its traditional plaster of Paris moulds.
The company has eight factories across the UK.
Its biggest is the plant in Stoke-on-Trent, where sinks and toilets are made under the brand names Armitage Shanks and Trevi Showers.
American Standard's managing director Roger Cooper said the changes were necessary if the company was to remain in the UK at all.
He said the redundancies would take place throughout the year, but he added that he hoped some staff would be able to get jobs at one of the firm's other factories.