By the end of 2008, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies plans to lay off around 11% of its 40,000-person global workforce as part of what the company calls its long term commitment to the hard disc drive business. The company expects the moves to save it $300 million over the next five years through streamlined operations and better efficiency. By the middle of that year, Hitachi expects to have shut down an HDD component factory in Guadalajara, Mexico, and phase out the production of media components at its Odawara, Japan, operation. The company will shift some production to factories in China, the Philippines, and Thailand. Hitachi's U.S. operations, located in San Jose, California, will continue to produce media components for the company.
News source: InfoWorld
