 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
差不多占总员工的3.5个百分点。
2 D7 E) z1 |2 r7 X" r1 ^: f/ ]- ~: K/ \6 ^/ @
Finning Canada has laid off 160 salaried staff in Alberta and B.C. as sales of Caterpillar equipment slows in the economic downturn.
6 b4 \. ]9 P# v g) G) Z) ^3 n7 m2 F, T+ {
Every office and every staff level, from support staff to management, in both provinces were affected, human resources vice-president Miles Hunt said Thursday.
* v, ~" c+ J9 Y
/ r+ s% M( R( r/ HTwenty-nine people lost their jobs in Edmonton, where Finning Canada has its head office.
. P. j1 h& D, {9 d7 H
2 Z4 u! O5 D; N- ["It's the toughest decision we have to make in our business life, and it's been a hard few days for us," Hunt said.
0 c. H; q: d- N% R% o' D2 v! w& n4 V
It brings Finning Canada's workforce down to about 4,300.
! B3 P( U. T; L2 {0 B2 D9 z0 k0 ^" d9 B+ H; ^% b0 w
No hourly workers - who service and rebuild construction and mining equipment - are affected.
( [( L: I& s$ G1 [
" x3 y _ M2 j6 X. B. m2 \1 nIn fact, the company is still hiring mechanics and technicians, Hunt said., v% I2 C7 O) B* n2 D% b
6 p, s3 z' S5 Z"That's the paradoxical thing. Even though things are changing, Fort McMurray (Alta.) is still growing, and we need more people up there," he said.
" K0 ~- K$ F* d' @% F
) Q3 |4 r5 u$ ]7 a0 D"It's our customers who are going to get us through this, and that's the last place we want to cut."
# E- x8 H) N/ S; @1 Q3 I5 s G4 u5 b% v' u5 ?5 z( U
The recent delays and cancellations of oilsands projects - a major income source for Finning - was not a factor in the layoffs, Hunt said.
, c, K3 o' a$ H7 S8 P7 K- W+ t0 N# T! o: g& d, G c J9 t1 X
"We're still very busy in the oilsands."; N: m/ x; w8 x7 R
$ H; Z6 n' y. e$ p$ ?6 S* W( u' YHunt said Finning has been immune to recent downturns, but is now being affected by slowing sales in some areas.
' ^6 h( r( s0 g- E+ P2 z
# z6 [: M9 H" K' \! z' T8 v9 HThey will continue to monitor the situation, but "we can't say it's the end" of layoffs, he added.. k+ o3 M$ e E; Y* B& ?
: A/ x3 t1 E0 ]) b+ P: [ w
The employees, most of whom got the bad news Wednesday, will get severance packages and outplacement help, he said.( } x- Q( o8 Y" E' A
' _: z/ O2 O- j6 j$ L% Y
Mike Waites, CEO of Vancouver-based parent company Finning International Inc., recently lowered the 2008 earnings guidance due to a slowdown in some of its businesses in Western Canada and the United Kingdom.8 O" G; o5 Y; ~( }* P- F, {( c
' F5 Y8 k# H5 }Demand for new equipment will likely soften and some purchases may be deferred, but that will result in an increase in its parts and service business - Finning's most profitable business - he said.
# b- `' \. R2 S1 a1 T ^8 J2 x& k+ Q$ i9 G2 v# g
Finning reported third-quarter net income of $64.8 million compared to $63.6 million for the same quarter last year. Revenues were a record $1.46 billion, compared to $1.33 billion a year before.1 Y# S, G' z% A! S& g* B
$ m, s g+ E6 P' T7 ? v5 G7 L$ HIts order backlog has also grown to a new record of $2 billion, dominated by mining equipment, "and provides good revenue visibility for 2009 and into 2010," Waites said. |
|