Unlucky Irish
Intel has joined PC maker Dell in reducing its presence in Ireland as the global recession continues to bring about job losses.
The Irish Times is reporting that Intel will be moth-balling Fab-14 at its site in Leixlip, County Kildare, which is Intel's largest manufacturing site outside the US.
It notified staff that there will be 294 compulsory redundancies to add to the 200 voluntary one announced last February. Apparently Intel has said the reason for the closure is a reduction in demand for what is currently produced by the Fab, but it doesn't seem in any great hurry to refurbish the Fab to make newer products.
The report notes that Intel is now entering into a 12 week consulting period to establish who's for the chop, and that nobody will actually lose their job until October. At its peak, the Leixlip site employed around 5,000 people, but this latest cut will bring that number down to more like 4,200.
