Sony to cut HQ staff by 20 percent, close Japan factory
updated 02:25 pm EDT, Fri October 19, 2012
Camera lens, mobile phone factory to be shuttered
Sony has announced that it will cut about 20 percent of its headquarters staff and close a factory in Japan. The staff reduction is part of a previously announced plan in which the Japanese electronics giant will reduce its global workforce by 10,000 by the end of next March. The factory to be shuttered is dedicated to the production of camera lenses and mobile phones.
Sony also recently sold a chemical business to a state-run bank in Japan, reducing its employee headcount by 1,800. The company will be letting go of about 2,000 people at its head office and plant in Gifu. Reuters reports that Sony will be cutting an additional 2,000 workers in Europe, about half of those stemming from the closure of its partnership with Ericsson.
The job cuts will save Sony about $378.6 million per year.
