NEC aims for profits with reorg, job cuts

Saying it needs to improve profitability, NEC Electronics is restructuring the company and has cut about 400 jobs, nearly 13 percent of its total workforce.

The jobs were cut from the company's headquarter offices in Santa Clara, its manufacturing facility in Roseville, California, and in sales offices throughout North America.

Shares of NEC edged higher on the reorganization news, rising 1.03 percent in early trading. The stock has traded as high as 61 and as low as 31 during the past 52 weeks.


The company said its profitability has been adversely affected by the lingering worldwide slump in
semiconductor business. NEC also said that the new direction has become a priority as customer demands have shifted, requiring more service and support as a result of increased demand for more sophisticated system level integrated solutions.



The restructuring will create a new Technology Foundation Division at NEC. This unit will focus on developing advanced engineering solutions.

"It is an integral part of a leaner organization that allows quicker decision making and more rapid execution of major projects and tasks," NEC Electronics president and CEO Hirokazu Hashimoto, said in a statement.


The company said it is "confident" that restructuring the organization into integrated market-focused divisions will allow the company to quickly adapt and respond to increasing customer demands.


The maker of computer components and electronic products said it is also hoping to be "better poised to aggressively compete in the system-on-a-chip market."


Shares of NEC closed down 1.88 percent, at 42.31 yesterday. The stock has traded as high as 61 and as low as 31 during the past 52 weeks.

Construction of the company's recently announced $1.4 billion manufacturing facility will continue as planned, NEC said.