Nikkei reports that Nikon has laid off 700 workers due to the declining camera business – 500 in Thailand and 200 in Laos. Nikon said: “We are going to aim for the best system to our production”, meaning they may reduce their stuff again (thanks for the translation Nakayamahanzaemon):
Nikon Corporation announced on the 28th that it has reduced the total number of employees by 700 at its Southeast Asian factory as part of a structural reform of its imaging business centered on digital cameras. Staged from autumn 2019 to the end of March due to early retirement. The number of people is 500 in Thailand and 200 in Laos, which is about 10% of the employees at each site. (Google translation, via Nikkei)
Update – here is the English version of the article:
Nikon has cut 700 jobs in Southeast Asia as part of a move to restructure its digital camera business as executives warned of sustained losses during the coronavirus pandemic, the Japanese optical company said Thursday.
Staff reductions at production facilities of the imaging segment, which includes cameras, started last fall and continued in stages through the end of March. A portion of the cuts came in the form of early retirement.
Thailand was hit with the bulk of the downsizing, losing 500 positions. Another 200 cuts occurred in Laos. The numbers represented roughly 10% of the headcount at each location.
