Apparently, cell phones aren’t selling so well.
Last week, Kyocera Wireless Corp., a San Diego subsidiary of Japan-based Kyocera Corp., said it laid off 190 staffers “because of a slowdown in the wireless industry.”
Dana Knight, a Kyocera Wireless spokeswoman, said the cuts affected 70 full-time and 120 temporary workers, the latter who had been contracted from Manpower Temporary Services. The reductions cut across all functional areas and included assembly workers, engineers, and sales and marketing persons, Knight said.
“It’s a combination of things. There’s been a reduction in the overall cost structure and we have to continue to be competitive in our market,” she said.
The global telecommunications industry has been decimated by a general pull-back from capital investment in new equipment, and have resulted in thousands of layoffs at major telecom manufacturers.
Cell phone makers Ericsson, Motorola and Nokia have all restated earlier revenue projections and have cut staffing in recent months.
The cuts leave Kyocera Wireless with about 2,310 employees in San Diego. The unit was formed last February when Kyocera purchased it from Qualcomm. When Qualcomm operated the unit, it had about 4,000 workers and had annual revenues of $1.4 billion.
