Dell Lays Off Employees At North Carolina Plant

The Winston-Salem Journal reported that employees at the computer manufacturing plant working the second shift were the victims of this round of layoffs.

David Frink, a spokesperson for Round Rock, Texas-based Dell, confirmed the reduction in workforce, noting that the move comes as the computer manufacturer continues to reduce costs.

"We've been streamlining our business for more than a year to improve our competitiveness," Frink wrote in an e-mail to Channelweb.com. "Yes, we did have a workforce reduction at the Winston-Salem facility. We recognize this is significant for affected employees; they will be offered competitive severance packages, including career counseling and outplacement services."

Dell declined to comment on the number of employees being affected.

The layoffs are part of the $3 billion cost-reduction plan Dell first announced last year. During its February earnings call, the computer manufacturer amended that target to $4 billion in cost reduction by the end of fiscal year 2011.

Last month, Dell confirmed to The Austin American-Statesmenthat the company was planning to cut hundreds of jobs in payroll. Factories in Central Texas and North Carolina were the targets.

"We've been streamlining the company where it makes sense for more than a year," Dell spokesman David Frink told the paper at the time. "Any actions this week are part of that effort. The layoffs are not about individual performance but about properly sizing Dell's business for the economy and business environment."

Previous to the March announcement, Dell laid off 1,900 employees in its flagship manufacturing plant in Limerick, Ireland. The cuts were made as the computer manufacturer made the decision to transfer production to an existing facility in Poland and to third-party OEM partners.

"This is a difficult decision, but the right one for Dell to become even more competitive and deliver greater value to customers in the region," Sean Corkery,vice president of operations, EMEA, said in a statement in January.