Intel Corp said on Wednesday it would close manufacturing plants in Malaysia and the Philippines, as well as its only remaining factory in Silicon Valley, cutting as many as 6,000 jobs.
The announcement comes a day after the world's largest maker of microprocessors used in personal computers slashed prices on a number of its chips and a week after it reported a decline in fourth-quarter revenue.
Intel said it would close two assembly test facilities in Penang, Malaysia, and one in Cavite, Philippines.
It will also halt production at a wafer fabrication facility in Hillsboro, Oregon, as well as its Santa Clara, California plant -- a factory connected to its headquarters and the only one left in Silicon Valley.
The actions will result in a reduction of 5,000 to 6,000 jobs, Intel said. It ended 2008 with around 84,000 employees.
Not all cuts at the affected plants will lead to job losses and some workers will be offered positions at other facilities, it said, adding that the restructuring will take place between now and the end of 2009.
"It's not a surprise given that their first quarter is probably going to be challenging, and they're trying to do what they can to cut costs in places that make sense," said Taunya Sell, an analyst at Ragen Mackenzie, a division of Wells Fargo.
Intel said it was not halting production at any of its more advanced factories.
Intel shares rose about 1 percent to $13.40 in after-hours trading, after rising 3.11 percent to close at $13.26 on the Nasdaq stock market.
Last week, Intel said its fourth-quarter revenue fell 23 percent from the year-ago period and profit tumbled 90 percent. It also held back on giving detailed quarterly forecasts, citing economic uncertainty.
Analysts have been wary about Intel's outlook for the year as chip sales slide. PC makers and other technology companies have been trimming inventory and cutting back on purchases.
Intel also faces competition from new, cheaper chips made by Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD.N).
On Tuesday, Intel said it was lowering prices on some of its processors, including price cuts of up to 40 percent on some of its higher-powered, faster quad-core chips.
AMD said earlier this month that it expected to post additional restructuring charges for fiscal 2008 and 2009.
Agencies
Friday, January 23, 2009
Apple logs record $10-bn sales; beats recession
Apple Inc rose as much as 6.8% in Nasdaq trading as holiday demand beat estimates last quarter, helping allay concerns the recession and the absence of Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs will stymie growth.
Overseas demand for iPod players, Macintosh computers and iPhones offset a US slowdown and pushed quarterly sales past $10 bn for the first time, Apple said. Analysts had expected profit to drop for the first time in five years.
The cachet of Apple’s products helped the company maintain orders and command premium prices, even as the economy shrank, job losses swelled and consumer lending dried up. By updating models and pushing into new countries, Apple was able to shrug off the worst holiday shopping season in four decades. The company also is coping with the temporary loss of its CEO, who is giving up his day-to-day role until June to take a medical leave.
“It shows that people, even in a downturn, like Apple products and want to buy them,” said Andy Hargreaves, an analyst with Pacific Crest Securities in Portland, Oregon. He’s one of 25 analysts tracked by Bloomberg who recommend buying the shares.
First-quarter net income rose 1.5% to $1.61 bn, or $1.78 a share, from $1.58 bn, or $1.76, a year earlier, Apple said. Sales rose 5.8% to $10.2 bn in the period ended December 27. Analysts in a Bloomberg survey estimated profit of $1.39 a share and sales of $9.76 bn.
Analysts had predicted a drop in profit after sales at US retailers fell more than twice as much as forecast in December, the sixth straight month of declines. The US accounts for more than half of Apple’s revenue.
Agencies
Overseas demand for iPod players, Macintosh computers and iPhones offset a US slowdown and pushed quarterly sales past $10 bn for the first time, Apple said. Analysts had expected profit to drop for the first time in five years.
The cachet of Apple’s products helped the company maintain orders and command premium prices, even as the economy shrank, job losses swelled and consumer lending dried up. By updating models and pushing into new countries, Apple was able to shrug off the worst holiday shopping season in four decades. The company also is coping with the temporary loss of its CEO, who is giving up his day-to-day role until June to take a medical leave.
“It shows that people, even in a downturn, like Apple products and want to buy them,” said Andy Hargreaves, an analyst with Pacific Crest Securities in Portland, Oregon. He’s one of 25 analysts tracked by Bloomberg who recommend buying the shares.
First-quarter net income rose 1.5% to $1.61 bn, or $1.78 a share, from $1.58 bn, or $1.76, a year earlier, Apple said. Sales rose 5.8% to $10.2 bn in the period ended December 27. Analysts in a Bloomberg survey estimated profit of $1.39 a share and sales of $9.76 bn.
Analysts had predicted a drop in profit after sales at US retailers fell more than twice as much as forecast in December, the sixth straight month of declines. The US accounts for more than half of Apple’s revenue.
Agencies
Due to drop in profits, Ericsson to cut 5,000 jobs
Wireless equipment maker LM Ericsson on Wednesday said profits dropped 31 per cent in the fourth quarter, citing restructuring charges and weaker handset sales, and said it would slash 5,000 jobs.
Ericsson said net profit fell to 3.9 billion kronor ($465 million) from 5.6 billion a year earlier.
It reported ``a dramatic drop'' in the contribution from its handset unit, Sony Ericsson. The joint venture with Japan's Sony last week said it had swung to a fourth-quarter loss of euro187 million ($243 million).
For the full year 2008, it posted a profit of 11.3 billion kronor, nearly half the 21.8 billion kronor reported for 2007.
Boosted by a weakening krona, Ericsson's sales in the fourth quarter rose 23 per cent to 67 billion kronor, from 54.5 billion kronor a year earlier.
The share soared nearly 11 per cent to 62 kronor in Stockholm stock market opening.
The world's leading maker of mobile broadband infrastructure said it released the fourth-quarter results a week ahead of schedule because it believed they exceeded market expectations.
In a statement, Chief Executive Carl-Henric Svanberg described his company's performance in 2008 as ``solid,'' pointing out the sales and the operating margins, excluding Sony Ericsson. He warned however that the financial downturn makes it ``difficult to more precisely predict to what extent consumer telecom spending will be affected, and how operators will act.''
The company said it needs to widen its savings program as the global financial crisis continues to pressure the industry, tough competition and the technical development. That would mean cutting 5,000 jobs, or more than 6 per cent of its 79,000-strong work force, Ericsson said.
The Stockholm-based company said it expected restructuring charges of 6 billion-7 billion kronor, yielding annual savings of around 10 billion kronor by the second half of the year.
In a webcast news conference with analysts and journalists, Svanberg said ``we're doing this of course because of the uncertainty in the market.''
For 2009, he said it will be a priority for the company to stay close to its customers to understand their behavior and needs, adding his company is also preparing for tougher times to be able to defend its margins and extend its leadership.
Agencies
Ericsson said net profit fell to 3.9 billion kronor ($465 million) from 5.6 billion a year earlier.
It reported ``a dramatic drop'' in the contribution from its handset unit, Sony Ericsson. The joint venture with Japan's Sony last week said it had swung to a fourth-quarter loss of euro187 million ($243 million).
For the full year 2008, it posted a profit of 11.3 billion kronor, nearly half the 21.8 billion kronor reported for 2007.
Boosted by a weakening krona, Ericsson's sales in the fourth quarter rose 23 per cent to 67 billion kronor, from 54.5 billion kronor a year earlier.
The share soared nearly 11 per cent to 62 kronor in Stockholm stock market opening.
The world's leading maker of mobile broadband infrastructure said it released the fourth-quarter results a week ahead of schedule because it believed they exceeded market expectations.
In a statement, Chief Executive Carl-Henric Svanberg described his company's performance in 2008 as ``solid,'' pointing out the sales and the operating margins, excluding Sony Ericsson. He warned however that the financial downturn makes it ``difficult to more precisely predict to what extent consumer telecom spending will be affected, and how operators will act.''
The company said it needs to widen its savings program as the global financial crisis continues to pressure the industry, tough competition and the technical development. That would mean cutting 5,000 jobs, or more than 6 per cent of its 79,000-strong work force, Ericsson said.
The Stockholm-based company said it expected restructuring charges of 6 billion-7 billion kronor, yielding annual savings of around 10 billion kronor by the second half of the year.
In a webcast news conference with analysts and journalists, Svanberg said ``we're doing this of course because of the uncertainty in the market.''
For 2009, he said it will be a priority for the company to stay close to its customers to understand their behavior and needs, adding his company is also preparing for tougher times to be able to defend its margins and extend its leadership.
Agencies
Thursday, January 22, 2009
No job cuts in India, says Microsoft
Starting with 1,400 job cuts, software giant Microsoft will slash 5,000 jobs over the next 18 months.The layoff, however, would not be impacting the Indian operations. "It's not going to impact us. No job cuts in India," a Microsoft India spokesperson said in New Delhi.
In light of further deterioration of global economic conditions, extra measures to manage costs are being taken, including the reduction of head-count-related expenses, vendors and contingent staff, facilities, capital expenditures and marketing, the company, which posted a 11 per cent decline in profit for the second quarter, added in the statement.
"Microsoft will eliminate up to 5,000 jobs in R&D, HR, marketing, sales, finance, legal, and IT over the next 18 months, including 1,400 jobs today," the company said in a statement.
In light of further deterioration of global economic conditions, extra measures to manage costs are being taken, including the reduction of head-count-related expenses, vendors and contingent staff, facilities, capital expenditures and marketing, the company, which posted a 11 per cent decline in profit for the second quarter, added in the statement.
"Microsoft will eliminate up to 5,000 jobs in R&D, HR, marketing, sales, finance, legal, and IT over the next 18 months, including 1,400 jobs today," the company said in a statement.
10 Oscar nominations for 'Slumdog Millionaire'
Inching closer towards an Oscar, composer A R Rahman on Thursday got himself nominated for three Academy awards for his score in British-Indian movie "Slumdog Millionaire", which was in all shortlisted for 10 categories including best film and best director.
"Something good is happening and I am really happy about it," was the reaction of Rahman, who became the first Indian to win a triple Oscar nomination. 43-year-old Rahman was nominated for Best Original Score and the numbers 'Jai Ho' and 'O Saya' were shortlisted for the Best Original Song.
Close on the heels of the dual-language film winning four Golden Globes, including one for Rahman, earlier this month, Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy were shortlisted for best director and best adapted screenplay categories.
The film also won nominations in cinematography, sound mixing, sound editing and film editing. David Fincher's romantic periodical "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", starring Brad Pitt, topped this year's race with a whopping 13 nominations.
The nominations were announced at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Samuel Goldwyn Theatre by Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker. The winners will be named on February 22 at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre.
Only two Indian have won the coveted Oscar till date, Bhanu Athaiya (for costume design in "Gandhi") and Satyajit Ray, who was given an honorary Oscar for his contribution to films.
This is also the first time that an Indian has won more than one nomination in Oscars history.
Reacting to the nominations, Rahman said, "I did not think it will get there. God has been really kind. And I have to really thank the prayers of all the people and their good wishes. "There is a kind of optimism in the film and so much of positive vibes as you leave the movie hall."
In the original score category, Rahman will compete with Alexandre Desplat ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"), James Newton Howard ("Defiance"), Danny Elfman ("Milk") and Thomas Newman ("WALL-E").
Rahman will compete with Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman ("Down to earth" from "WALL-E") in the original song category. Gulzar has penned the lyrics of "Jai Ho" and Mia Arulpragasam "O Saya".
Co-director Loveelyn Tandon said "We have proved everyone wrong. It's a crazy feeling beyond words. Ten nominations is something unbelievable." She said all Rahman's work has been awarded and the "world has finally woken up to his talent". The films for the best picture race are "Milk", "Frost/Nixon", "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "The Reader".
Those nominated in the best director category along with Boyle are David Fincher ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"), Stephen Daldry ("The Reader"), Gus Van Sant ("Milk") and Ron Howard ("Frost/Nixon").
"Something good is happening and I am really happy about it," was the reaction of Rahman, who became the first Indian to win a triple Oscar nomination. 43-year-old Rahman was nominated for Best Original Score and the numbers 'Jai Ho' and 'O Saya' were shortlisted for the Best Original Song.
Close on the heels of the dual-language film winning four Golden Globes, including one for Rahman, earlier this month, Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy were shortlisted for best director and best adapted screenplay categories.
The film also won nominations in cinematography, sound mixing, sound editing and film editing. David Fincher's romantic periodical "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", starring Brad Pitt, topped this year's race with a whopping 13 nominations.
The nominations were announced at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Samuel Goldwyn Theatre by Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker. The winners will be named on February 22 at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre.
Only two Indian have won the coveted Oscar till date, Bhanu Athaiya (for costume design in "Gandhi") and Satyajit Ray, who was given an honorary Oscar for his contribution to films.
This is also the first time that an Indian has won more than one nomination in Oscars history.
Reacting to the nominations, Rahman said, "I did not think it will get there. God has been really kind. And I have to really thank the prayers of all the people and their good wishes. "There is a kind of optimism in the film and so much of positive vibes as you leave the movie hall."
In the original score category, Rahman will compete with Alexandre Desplat ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"), James Newton Howard ("Defiance"), Danny Elfman ("Milk") and Thomas Newman ("WALL-E").
Rahman will compete with Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman ("Down to earth" from "WALL-E") in the original song category. Gulzar has penned the lyrics of "Jai Ho" and Mia Arulpragasam "O Saya".
Co-director Loveelyn Tandon said "We have proved everyone wrong. It's a crazy feeling beyond words. Ten nominations is something unbelievable." She said all Rahman's work has been awarded and the "world has finally woken up to his talent". The films for the best picture race are "Milk", "Frost/Nixon", "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "The Reader".
Those nominated in the best director category along with Boyle are David Fincher ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"), Stephen Daldry ("The Reader"), Gus Van Sant ("Milk") and Ron Howard ("Frost/Nixon").
Microsoft cuts 5,000 jobs as part of first layoffs
Microsoft Corp. said Thursday it is cutting 5,000 jobs over the next 18 months -- more than 5 percent of its work force -- a sign of how badly even the biggest and richest companies are being stung by the recession.
The layoffs appear to be a first for Microsoft, which was founded in 1975, aside from relatively limited staff cuts the software company made after acquiring companies.
The company announced the cuts as it reported an 11 percent drop in second-quarter profit, which fell short of Wall Street's expectations. Microsoft shares plunged 8 percent in morning trading.
The biggest names in the technology sector have been no stranger to layoffs lately. Giants such as chip maker Intel Corp. and even Google Inc. are among the companies that have pulled back on jobs to hunker down in the recession.
Even with $20.7 billion in cash on hand, Microsoft said its business prospects were hurt by the deteriorating global economy and lower revenue from software for PCs. The holiday quarter of 2008 was the worst the PC market had seen since 2002, with computer shipments declining about a half of 1 percent, according to IDC, a technology research group.
Making matters worse, the one type of PC consumers have warmed to in tight times -- the low-cost, low-power "netbook" -- actually cut further into Microsoft's earnings. The tiny portable computers run on Windows XP, which is older and less profitable for Microsoft than Windows Vista.
In a memo to employees, Chief Executive Steve Ballmer acknowledged that Microsoft is "not immune to the effects of the economy. Consumers and businesses have reined in spending, which is affecting PC shipments and IT (information technology) expenditures."
Ballmer said Microsoft cut operating expenses by $600 million in the quarter, but that it wasn't enough.
The layoffs, starting with 1,400 on Thursday, will affect workers in research and development, marketing, sales, finance, legal and corporate affairs, human resources and information technology, and mostly in Redmond, Wash., where the company is based. Ballmer also said changes would occur in departments that handle support, consulting, operations, billing, manufacturing, and data center operations, but he did not say whether layoffs are planned in those cases.
Microsoft won't stop hiring entirely. Ballmer said the company will add new jobs to support "key investment areas" over the next 18 months, so the total number of employees will drop by 2,000 to 3,000. Microsoft employs 94,000 people overall.
"I would have expected a more aggressive cut," said Cowen and Co. analyst Walter Pritchard. "They're trying to have their cake and eat it too, in terms of not cutting and hoping to have everything they were going to have before."
The software maker is trimming costs for travel, contractors and vendors, and said it will scale back a massive expansion to its Redmond campus.
Microsoft said its job cuts will reduce operating costs by $1.5 billion as it prepares for lower revenue and earnings in the second half of the year. The company says it is unable to offer profit and revenue guidance for the rest of the year, because of the market volatility.
Microsoft said profit in the last quarter fell to $4.17 billion, or 47 cents per share, from year-ago earnings of $4.71 billion, or 50 cents per share.
Total revenue edged up 2 percent to $16.63 billion.
The results missed Wall Street's forecast for earnings of 49 cents per share on sales of $17.08 billion.
Microsoft makes most of its profits on sales of the Windows operating system and its Office package of software, which includes programs such as Word, PowerPoint and Excel. Revenue and earnings shrank in both of those divisions.
A bright spot for Microsoft is software for corporate server computers, where revenue is still rising. Gartner analyst Neil MacDonald noted that the server business can thrive in a downturn because back-office software can help companies improve efficiency and save money.
Agencies
The layoffs appear to be a first for Microsoft, which was founded in 1975, aside from relatively limited staff cuts the software company made after acquiring companies.
The company announced the cuts as it reported an 11 percent drop in second-quarter profit, which fell short of Wall Street's expectations. Microsoft shares plunged 8 percent in morning trading.
The biggest names in the technology sector have been no stranger to layoffs lately. Giants such as chip maker Intel Corp. and even Google Inc. are among the companies that have pulled back on jobs to hunker down in the recession.
Even with $20.7 billion in cash on hand, Microsoft said its business prospects were hurt by the deteriorating global economy and lower revenue from software for PCs. The holiday quarter of 2008 was the worst the PC market had seen since 2002, with computer shipments declining about a half of 1 percent, according to IDC, a technology research group.
Making matters worse, the one type of PC consumers have warmed to in tight times -- the low-cost, low-power "netbook" -- actually cut further into Microsoft's earnings. The tiny portable computers run on Windows XP, which is older and less profitable for Microsoft than Windows Vista.
In a memo to employees, Chief Executive Steve Ballmer acknowledged that Microsoft is "not immune to the effects of the economy. Consumers and businesses have reined in spending, which is affecting PC shipments and IT (information technology) expenditures."
Ballmer said Microsoft cut operating expenses by $600 million in the quarter, but that it wasn't enough.
The layoffs, starting with 1,400 on Thursday, will affect workers in research and development, marketing, sales, finance, legal and corporate affairs, human resources and information technology, and mostly in Redmond, Wash., where the company is based. Ballmer also said changes would occur in departments that handle support, consulting, operations, billing, manufacturing, and data center operations, but he did not say whether layoffs are planned in those cases.
Microsoft won't stop hiring entirely. Ballmer said the company will add new jobs to support "key investment areas" over the next 18 months, so the total number of employees will drop by 2,000 to 3,000. Microsoft employs 94,000 people overall.
"I would have expected a more aggressive cut," said Cowen and Co. analyst Walter Pritchard. "They're trying to have their cake and eat it too, in terms of not cutting and hoping to have everything they were going to have before."
The software maker is trimming costs for travel, contractors and vendors, and said it will scale back a massive expansion to its Redmond campus.
Microsoft said its job cuts will reduce operating costs by $1.5 billion as it prepares for lower revenue and earnings in the second half of the year. The company says it is unable to offer profit and revenue guidance for the rest of the year, because of the market volatility.
Microsoft said profit in the last quarter fell to $4.17 billion, or 47 cents per share, from year-ago earnings of $4.71 billion, or 50 cents per share.
Total revenue edged up 2 percent to $16.63 billion.
The results missed Wall Street's forecast for earnings of 49 cents per share on sales of $17.08 billion.
Microsoft makes most of its profits on sales of the Windows operating system and its Office package of software, which includes programs such as Word, PowerPoint and Excel. Revenue and earnings shrank in both of those divisions.
A bright spot for Microsoft is software for corporate server computers, where revenue is still rising. Gartner analyst Neil MacDonald noted that the server business can thrive in a downturn because back-office software can help companies improve efficiency and save money.
Agencies
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
TCS may go slow on lateral hiring
The country's largest software company, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), plans to go slow on lateral hiring. According to a report in a leading business daily, faced with the current tough business environment, TCS will be focusing more on trainees.
The company, however, is not planning any freeze on salary hike, though it said that the next year's salary hike would be in single digit per cent range.
TCS has been very controlled about the numbers that we take from here. The focus is on trainees as from cost management perspective this will balance out, said, Ajoy Mukherjee, VP and head, global HR, TCS, in the report.
TCS which reported net additions of 8,692 employees in third quarter, the highest in any of the last five quarters, however, assured that it will honour its commitment on hiring 24,800 people during financial year 2009-10.
Mukherjee added that while I am not saying that we will not hire experienced people, but it will be based more on domain expertise and business need. Besides, for off-campus recruitment, which we did in the fourth quarter to fill on gaps due to attrition, is also clearly ruled out this year. The other focus area also is shift from onsite to offshore.
Further, despite troubles in the US economy, TCS reported a robust 32 percent Y-o-Y growth in business in the region with 320 bps improvement in operating margin at 33.4 per cent in the just ended third quarter. Growth in the European market was lower at 23.4 per cent and came on 180 bps lower margin of 29.2 per cent.
TCS, however, reported lower utilisation rate including trainees during the OND quarter. The company's utilisation rate fell from 74.7 percent in the last quarter to 71. per cent.
Agencies
The company, however, is not planning any freeze on salary hike, though it said that the next year's salary hike would be in single digit per cent range.
TCS has been very controlled about the numbers that we take from here. The focus is on trainees as from cost management perspective this will balance out, said, Ajoy Mukherjee, VP and head, global HR, TCS, in the report.
TCS which reported net additions of 8,692 employees in third quarter, the highest in any of the last five quarters, however, assured that it will honour its commitment on hiring 24,800 people during financial year 2009-10.
Mukherjee added that while I am not saying that we will not hire experienced people, but it will be based more on domain expertise and business need. Besides, for off-campus recruitment, which we did in the fourth quarter to fill on gaps due to attrition, is also clearly ruled out this year. The other focus area also is shift from onsite to offshore.
Further, despite troubles in the US economy, TCS reported a robust 32 percent Y-o-Y growth in business in the region with 320 bps improvement in operating margin at 33.4 per cent in the just ended third quarter. Growth in the European market was lower at 23.4 per cent and came on 180 bps lower margin of 29.2 per cent.
TCS, however, reported lower utilisation rate including trainees during the OND quarter. The company's utilisation rate fell from 74.7 percent in the last quarter to 71. per cent.
Agencies
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