Thursday, January 25 8:12 AM SGT

Sony Cuts 500 Jobs At San Diego Picture Tube Plant

SAN DIEGO (AP)--Sony Electronics Inc. plans to stop manufacturing picture tubes for computer monitors in the United States and will lay off 500 workers. Tokyo-based Sony will cease production of cathode ray tubes for computers at its manufacturing plant in the San Diego community of Rancho Bernardo by April 1, a spokesman said Tuesday.

The layoffs amount to a 14% cut in the work force at the plant, which will continue to produce picture tubes for televisions and to handle research and development and other operations for the company, spokesman John Dolak said.

Production of the picture tubes for computer monitors will be shifted to Asia and other regions outside the United States, but the company has not decided specific locations, Dolak said.

The company cited the increased competition to cut costs in the computer industry as the reason for the job cuts. No further layoffs are planned at the San Diego plant, he said.

http://asia.biz.yahoo.com/news/asian_markets/article.html?s=asiafinance/news/010125/asian_markets/dowjones/Sony_Cuts_500_Jobs_At_San_Diego_Picture_Tube_Plant.html

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), January 24, 2001