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差不多占总员工的3.5个百分点。& O0 p3 ^ K$ \) u
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Finning Canada has laid off 160 salaried staff in Alberta and B.C. as sales of Caterpillar equipment slows in the economic downturn.1 }; K! x& O6 @% p# k! V3 [9 W
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Every office and every staff level, from support staff to management, in both provinces were affected, human resources vice-president Miles Hunt said Thursday.8 d2 \4 g6 ~$ k
6 _. \4 I9 c" i. n: h" c( YTwenty-nine people lost their jobs in Edmonton, where Finning Canada has its head office.
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"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.
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It brings Finning Canada's workforce down to about 4,300.# t# H0 x5 b' P
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No hourly workers - who service and rebuild construction and mining equipment - are affected./ {! c5 m: s, j, B- v
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In fact, the company is still hiring mechanics and technicians, Hunt said.! H( S# e* f8 ^7 K; r5 x
6 I% D2 U) A3 W2 U) _ |"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.
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, D6 r! ^6 j0 Q$ h"It's our customers who are going to get us through this, and that's the last place we want to cut."
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& P) f7 F$ y& h. k' p% y2 RThe recent delays and cancellations of oilsands projects - a major income source for Finning - was not a factor in the layoffs, Hunt said.
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. g" x( ^, \- y5 l"We're still very busy in the oilsands."
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Hunt said Finning has been immune to recent downturns, but is now being affected by slowing sales in some areas.
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" `' N! d% t) TThey will continue to monitor the situation, but "we can't say it's the end" of layoffs, he added.( S5 a# @! P/ z: ]4 f. b$ [# ~ B
( B9 ^' k2 p0 P" i3 k5 R( ^The employees, most of whom got the bad news Wednesday, will get severance packages and outplacement help, he said.
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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.9 Z/ c& Q5 ?& A# j
Q3 l; I. g9 L( x2 V- HDemand 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.
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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.# ~5 O& G) L* x4 w* x
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Its 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. |
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