Nokia to cut up to 285 jobs in Finnish plant changes (AFP)

From Yahoo! News: Wireless and Mobile Technology
February 8, 2010

HELSINKI (AFP) – Nokia, the world's top mobile phone maker, said Monday it would restructure operations at its plant in Salo, Finland, to focus production on smartphones and could cut up to 285 jobs as a result.

"Salo is a crucial part of Nokia's global manufacturing network ... our aim is to ensure the plant's future competitiveness and its special role as one best suited to the production of high value mobile devices," Juha Putkiranta, a Nokia senior vice president, said in a statement.

The Salo plant in western Finland currently employs around 2,200 people and the company said a "maximum of 285 employees" could be affected by the changes.

"Nokia will support alternative solutions, such as finding new positions at Nokia for as many employees as possible," it said in a statement on its website. Current rotational temporary lay-offs at the Salo plant would be halted by the end of June, it added.

Last month, Nokia cheered markets with news that in the fourth quarter new products had helped it win ground in the global smartphone market where it has faced tough competition from the likes of Apple's iPhone and Research in Motion's BlackBerry.