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差不多占总员工的3.5个百分点。+ |! Q4 [$ x# I% r. c& {
) b- \6 B8 f) b8 F! iFinning Canada has laid off 160 salaried staff in Alberta and B.C. as sales of Caterpillar equipment slows in the economic downturn.0 [1 y! o# j0 l: F
, }0 E- k; V& b& M, A" REvery office and every staff level, from support staff to management, in both provinces were affected, human resources vice-president Miles Hunt said Thursday., \ b5 D9 O. t. }5 F$ k3 r! o
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Twenty-nine people lost their jobs in Edmonton, where Finning Canada has its head office.( B. @7 V3 @" r/ D6 P: }
2 v. Y& j+ [- ]/ o/ B: H) |"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.$ h* J3 J) ]; S) j/ _* b: |
]: m6 A) c' [! W& ANo hourly workers - who service and rebuild construction and mining equipment - are affected./ y$ K. G: E, ]
. j. ]1 o; |' _) Y4 m6 UIn fact, the company is still hiring mechanics and technicians, Hunt said.
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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." U6 _6 H" q* N" K! M ?
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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.") Z8 A- b' y3 i3 v% b
9 N/ l; H+ p; }3 _" R vThe recent delays and cancellations of oilsands projects - a major income source for Finning - was not a factor in the layoffs, Hunt said.; U5 F: ?( M; n
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"We're still very busy in the oilsands."
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) @& R3 Y" e5 J' }, VHunt said Finning has been immune to recent downturns, but is now being affected by slowing sales in some areas.
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They will continue to monitor the situation, but "we can't say it's the end" of layoffs, he added.
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The employees, most of whom got the bad news Wednesday, will get severance packages and outplacement help, he said.
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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.9 j8 r% j1 O0 {) I) j3 T
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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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b9 l$ Y. t& a( \: O" x6 wFinning 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.7 |% J( I/ F' ]& D. \# P1 Q V# `
; n1 w5 ?& U. ]: M5 R, gIts 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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