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差不多占总员工的3.5个百分点。
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4 u9 _3 `3 _3 G* n0 {1 q cFinning Canada has laid off 160 salaried staff in Alberta and B.C. as sales of Caterpillar equipment slows in the economic downturn.5 O# s4 H+ l& R
* \' S2 `" U, j, r2 H1 Q* h8 B" [Every office and every staff level, from support staff to management, in both provinces were affected, human resources vice-president Miles Hunt said Thursday.
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Twenty-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.
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No hourly workers - who service and rebuild construction and mining equipment - are affected.
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In fact, the company is still hiring mechanics and technicians, Hunt said.: \ L6 l! d v3 b
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"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.0 L8 j9 _: e4 j
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"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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The recent delays and cancellations of oilsands projects - a major income source for Finning - was not a factor in the layoffs, Hunt said.7 v. A6 B! o6 C8 F, y; j
% L1 v4 ] N- C) v"We're still very busy in the oilsands."7 x/ Z, E- i: ^
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Hunt said Finning has been immune to recent downturns, but is now being affected by slowing sales in some areas. ]- O) C9 K9 c9 O8 b) T0 N% p
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They will continue to monitor the situation, but "we can't say it's the end" of layoffs, he added.: n: _4 p9 ?& w1 y g9 O3 E
! K5 U" C0 J V& X& t5 p" c; TThe employees, most of whom got the bad news Wednesday, will get severance packages and outplacement help, he said.! o: _* v& C) O
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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.0 N; t! v" E, n, x! i
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Demand 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.
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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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