Lucas Mearian
Senior Reporter

Seagate to lay off 1,100 workers

News
May 13, 20092 mins

Drive maker expects to save $125 million annually with the cuts

Following layoffs and salary reductions unveiled earlier this year, Seagate now plans an additional 1,100 layoffs to bolster its cash flow and get earnings back in the black.

As part of ongoing efforts to save money that include staff and operating cost reductions, Seagate Technology today announced a restructuring plan that will mean cutting an additional 1,100 workers. That amounts to about 2.5% of the company’s global workforce.

The hard disk drive manufacturer said the reduction will increase cash flow and should get earnings back in the black in fiscal year 2010.

Slideshow: Most notable layoffs of 2009

In its most recent quarter, Seagate reported a net loss of $273 million on $2.1 billion of revenue. That followed a $496 million net loss during the previous quarter. Including today’s layoffs, the company has reduced its global head count through attrition and restructuring by more than 25% this year. Seagate said it expects the restructuring plan to be mostly complete by the end of July, saving it about $125 million per year.

Earlier this year, Seagate announced the closure of two recording media facilities and its Pittsburgh research facility along with company-wide salary reductions.

The company also said it would continue to “assess options to further reduce manufacturing operating costs” in the months ahead.

Lucas Mearian

With a career spanning more than two decades in journalism and technology research, Lucas Mearian is a seasoned writer, editor, and former IDC analyst with deep expertise in enterprise IT, infrastructure systems, and emerging technologies. Currently a senior writer at Computerworld covering AI, the future of work, healthcare IT and financial services IT, his 23-year tenure has included roles such as Senior Technology Editor and Data Storage Channel Editor, where he covered cutting-edge topics like blockchain, 3D printing, sustainable IT, and autonomous vehicles. He has appeared on several podcasts, including Foundry’s Today In Tech. He also served as a research manager at IDC, where he focused on software-defined infrastructure, compute, and storage within the Infrastructure Systems, Platforms, and Technologies group.

Before entering tech media, he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Waltham Daily News Tribune and as a senior reporter for the MetroWest Daily News. He’s won first place awards from the New England Press Association, the American Association of Business Publication Editors, and has been a finalist for several Jesse H. Neal Awards for outstanding business journalism. A former U.S. Marine Corps sergeant who served in reconnaissance, he brings a disciplined, analytical mindset to his work, along with outstanding writing, research, and public speaking skills.

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