Chinese PC maker Lenovo plans to cut 200 jobs in its Beijing headquarters, of which about 5% are senior managers and directors.
According to local media reports, Lenovo is considering a reduction of temporary workers in its plants and all of its recruitment plans are currently suspended. An insider from Lenovo stated that because most staff reductions still need to go through various government agencies for approval, the plan has not yet been formally started.
In addition, Lenovo's restructuring framework for the Asia Pacific, Greater China and Russian areas has reportedly been completed and the company may conduct large-scale adjustments in the Asia Pacific. David D. Miller, current president for Lenovo Asia Pacific, may step down from his position and Chen Shaopeng, Lenovo's senior vice president and general manager for Greater China and Russia, may take over Miller's responsibility.
Chen says the current economic situation is not very good and Lenovo will surely take some measures to handle it. The measures that Lenovo will adopt are similar to those of other companies, which aim to raise efficiency and reduce costs. Prior to this, HP and Dell had completed their own layoffs.
2009 will be a hard year for the PC industry. According to contract data provided by Taiwanese PC components manufacturers, global PC giants, including HP, Dell, Asus and Acer, have reduced their orders for the first quarter of 2009 by about 50% year-on-year.