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600 Swedish jobs to go as ST-Ericsson splits

Up to 600 Swedish jobs may disappear when mobile technology joint venture ST-Ericsson splits its operations, the company said on Monday.

Published: 18 March 2013 11:18 CET
600 Swedish jobs to go as ST-Ericsson splits

The mobile technology venture between Ericsson and STMicroelectronics, ST-Ericsson, said Monday it would axe 1,600 jobs after splitting the operation.

“ST-Ericsson will carry out restructuring of its current operations which could impact some 1,600 employees worldwide, out of which … 500-700 are in Europe, including 400 to 600 positions in Sweden and 50 to 80 positions in Germany,” said the company, which in 2012 had 5,000 employees.

As the two companies prepare to dissolve the joint venture, Ericsson announced it will take over the design, development and sales of future LTE multimode wireless modem products, while STMicroelectronics will maintain responsibility for existing ST-Ericsson products, as well as certain assembly and testing facilities.

The formal transfer of assets from ST-Ericsson to the respective parent companies is expected to be completed during the third quarter of 2013.

Ericsson CEO Hans Vestberg said the move allows the Swedish telecom equipment maker to develop a “highly focused ‘thin modem only’ operation”, explaining that the products are expected to maintain a leading position in the rapidly growing market for smartphones and tablet computers.

“Ericsson continues to believe that the thin modems hold a strategic value to the wireless industry,” he said in a statement

Ericsson will book a 500 million kronor ($77.8 million) restructuring charge in the fourth quarter this year, after announcing an eight billion kronor write-off for ST-Ericsson in the fourth quarter of 2012.

STMicroelectronics expected to incur a $350-$450 million cost this year for the split.

ST-Ericsson last year had a headcount of 5,000, mostly in Sweden, Germany, India and China.

Following the split, 1,800 of ST-Ericsson’s employees will move to Ericsson, while 950 will end up with ST.

ST-Ericsson has never turned a profit since being formed in 2009, and has weighed on the bottom line of its struggling Swedish parent, which in November said it would cut almost 10 percent of its workforce.

Carlo Ferro will replace Didier Lamouche as chief executive to oversee the unwinding of the venture, the company said.

AFP/The Local/dl

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SWEDEN AND UKRAINE

Ericsson suspends all Russia operations indefinitely

Swedish network equipment maker Ericsson said Monday that it was suspending all of its Russian operations over the war in Ukraine for the foreseeable future.

Published: 11 April 2022 19:42 CEST
Ericsson suspends all Russia operations indefinitely

The telecom giant already announced in late February that it would stop all deliveries to Russia following Moscow’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine.

“In the light of recent events and of European Union sanctions, the company will now suspend its affected business with customers in Russia indefinitely,” Ericsson said in a statement.

The company added that it was “engaging with customers and partners regarding the indefinite suspension of the affected business.”

“The priority is to focus on the safety and well-being of Ericsson employees in Russia and they will be placed on paid leave,” it said.

READ ALSO: How has Sweden responded to Putin’s war in Ukraine so far?

Hundreds of Western firms ranging from Ikea to Coca-Cola, Goldman Sachs and McDonald’s have stopped operations in the country since the invasion, with French banking group Societe Generale announcing Monday it was selling its stake in Russia’s Rosbank.

Ericsson has around 600 employees in Russia, and is a “major supplier to the largest operator MTS and the fourth largest operator Tele2,” a company spokeswoman told AFP, adding that together with Ukraine, Russia accounts for less than two percent of revenue.

As a result, the equipment maker said it would record a provision for 900 million Swedish kronor ($95 million, 87 million euros) for the first quarter of 2022 for “impairment of assets and other exceptional costs,” though no staff redundancy costs were included.
Ericsson is due to publish its first quarter earnings on April 14.

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