Sony announced the elimination of 8,000 jobs

The "techno" are decidedly not spared by the crisis. In the process of restructuring to reduce costs and put an end to its activities, the Japanese group Sony announced Tuesday the forthcoming elimination of 8,000 jobs, or about 4% of its global workforce (roughly 160,000 employees). The Japanese giant hopes to be able to achieve up to 1.1 billion dollars in savings per year.

Victim of the decline of the yen against other currencies and increased competition in its markets of choice in the field of electronics (televisions, stereos or game consoles in particular), Sony had already suggested in October that forecasts were now well below expectations, and should proceed quickly to the closure of some production sites.

The group said Tuesday that it plans to close about 10% of the 57 plants it supplies in the world, without specifying which would be affected. He however confirmed that the production site of French PONTONX-sur-Adour (near Dax in the Landes), hitherto vested in the manufacture of tapes (VHS) and the digitization of archives, would soon be closed.

In parallel, Sony states have revised downwards by about 30% its outlook for investment by 31 March 2010, and undertake to outsource part of the activities it intends to develop internally.