 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
差不多占总员工的3.5个百分点。6 A/ \7 ~+ B& t- i Y% J8 j
( m# v ^) e+ I' i7 b) N7 ~6 `
Finning Canada has laid off 160 salaried staff in Alberta and B.C. as sales of Caterpillar equipment slows in the economic downturn.
- ]9 ~( q, u |+ L7 S* e* d$ p
( c; p. S7 z( @) ?! s* i3 r7 S3 P2 fEvery office and every staff level, from support staff to management, in both provinces were affected, human resources vice-president Miles Hunt said Thursday.6 O# M- p' X$ t
3 @7 Y: d! B+ E; T6 X
Twenty-nine people lost their jobs in Edmonton, where Finning Canada has its head office.
7 N$ U8 v; O" w- s. \( Q" n3 g) f
( ]' c9 p/ e# b7 m& E: k"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.
3 |+ \. o1 Q+ N" e( M) ~+ K+ P4 e! f! D3 H& M
It brings Finning Canada's workforce down to about 4,300./ \% k# z+ R% C' L* f3 ?: W; E
- E+ U2 }6 X4 C. `No hourly workers - who service and rebuild construction and mining equipment - are affected.
, s$ l! u) D4 F3 g8 S- C* i0 b, Y4 d9 E* |) r1 y* k# f0 D3 {) a" |
In fact, the company is still hiring mechanics and technicians, Hunt said.3 U6 D6 c' ?) y# n; D, H9 q1 v
8 X9 w' x/ j }0 N1 ["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.; K, _& o3 a! @* B
4 a% J- j) ?" V$ P4 y, B"It's our customers who are going to get us through this, and that's the last place we want to cut."
: g6 |" j+ y ?0 J: G" Q3 h) ^1 z+ U" Z( P; a& T0 k
The recent delays and cancellations of oilsands projects - a major income source for Finning - was not a factor in the layoffs, Hunt said.) v9 j+ n1 b+ t. m8 U
# M) \4 }' F6 g3 \" j"We're still very busy in the oilsands."- K4 t9 k. T2 r- x9 t
3 M g3 z6 k9 _
Hunt said Finning has been immune to recent downturns, but is now being affected by slowing sales in some areas.
; b5 R0 R2 T% D$ p+ C A* C2 k3 T, R7 i7 P
They will continue to monitor the situation, but "we can't say it's the end" of layoffs, he added.; p* c* F0 I: ^
$ ~( B# T, r# g9 U! z' @3 ~. [" |/ `" AThe employees, most of whom got the bad news Wednesday, will get severance packages and outplacement help, he said.
: f. x& A3 N4 W2 {6 r* \( v3 |" `7 g6 z
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.4 C6 R; b1 s/ w9 W' e: b. v
0 i4 c5 Q+ j2 ]* y; X9 c" n) KDemand 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." m9 _ d3 s @" f$ H h( N: k$ a9 c! ?3 ~
1 W3 `# b; s6 C1 W* G) D- V3 L$ MFinning 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.
6 r0 |5 p: f g( H- e" [, k
7 `1 ^( S) a, c2 ?0 U0 O1 xIts 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. |
|