Sony Corp., is about to finalise plans to slash up to 20,000 jobs worldwide and terminate domestic production of cathode-ray tubes for televisions. The electronics giant will probably feature the workforce-reduction program in a structural reform package covering the three years through March 2006. The move is aimed at boosting the company's profitability by pulling out of unprofitable businesses and placing more focus on audiovisual equipment and some other key areas after converging its widespread development, design and production centres. Also in the works are regroupings of domestic and overseas production bases and the disposal of assets belonging to non-strategic divisions, they said. Sony, whose workforce totalled over 161,000 jobs, plans to implement the cuts through an early retirement program and hiring curbs, with a restructuring charge of 300BN yen.
