 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
差不多占总员工的3.5个百分点。
$ M- Q0 I5 X* v1 V* ~* i2 w$ d3 N4 R% E) U; b
Finning Canada has laid off 160 salaried staff in Alberta and B.C. as sales of Caterpillar equipment slows in the economic downturn.
* s5 g5 Q5 P7 e2 X4 L0 o$ \: @7 c3 k1 @+ S$ |5 v5 `- k' W
Every office and every staff level, from support staff to management, in both provinces were affected, human resources vice-president Miles Hunt said Thursday.
( |( u1 Q8 ]$ ] I/ m7 I
0 B, G- S) z3 G0 A% @' b0 @Twenty-nine people lost their jobs in Edmonton, where Finning Canada has its head office.
- O' t" u, R P: ^( Q8 p7 g2 g# X0 E3 D7 V% U5 T) H
"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.
6 m' `2 [3 Z& D; S5 r8 ]/ R/ `2 | \; k. B. C+ T
It brings Finning Canada's workforce down to about 4,300.
( c+ _& w7 U0 m2 n' [( ~$ E
% r* G5 m" S0 V9 T/ dNo hourly workers - who service and rebuild construction and mining equipment - are affected.- Z: U+ l5 D+ s. L: E& q( P
% R* v; _+ m, y" e. R7 z
In fact, the company is still hiring mechanics and technicians, Hunt said.( R8 R7 p/ i' P& C9 U
! B6 n# }8 I$ y; T
"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.8 I2 P& W2 {" \6 n+ A4 q8 F" @
! j0 X t L2 b. Y' k"It's our customers who are going to get us through this, and that's the last place we want to cut."
! x! E& R6 Q) x+ R
( w% j5 e& J! S9 D8 TThe recent delays and cancellations of oilsands projects - a major income source for Finning - was not a factor in the layoffs, Hunt said.
) a* ~* [+ v4 W8 y! |; l6 S9 ?: X1 [: y' F: A L y
"We're still very busy in the oilsands."
" T. Y+ Q4 I0 S" D* N$ H
% h$ J# g- Z+ R2 q% E: q4 ~4 OHunt said Finning has been immune to recent downturns, but is now being affected by slowing sales in some areas.6 e5 d9 M; d6 c! _
% @' n$ u# ~! V" @/ L1 [9 KThey will continue to monitor the situation, but "we can't say it's the end" of layoffs, he added.* ]- T" @4 {% j5 q9 u
" ]/ d. K! x% I& S; g& r- f6 i
The employees, most of whom got the bad news Wednesday, will get severance packages and outplacement help, he said.$ b, p o' s4 I
0 P' O; c, L/ M5 ^
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.0 x) w& T& p" ?& Y
: |# \% l- C. u- _% v3 s/ I2 C2 lDemand 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.
/ B) ~: {- X1 X4 U; u3 s% |: Q+ h# Y5 b8 O0 Z3 z) h+ w
Finning 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 $1.33 billion a year before.
) _" L0 p! l- i0 d$ [7 \% I
& i- r, X3 ^3 X: k& d0 J# b$ X; RIts 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. |
|