Rhodia plans cost-saving measures, to cut 91 jobs

20 March 2009 09:53  [Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (ICIS news)--Rhodia plans to implement a number of measures in an effort to achieve savings of €150m ($206m) by 2011, which will lead to the loss of 91 jobs, the French specialty chemicals company said on Friday.

Plans designed to improve the competitiveness of production facilities run by its Polyamide and Novecare enterprises in France could lead to 132 positions being cut and 41 created - an overall reduction of 91 positions, Rhodia said.

The company said it would aim to increase industrial and organisational synergies between the activities of engineering plastics and the intermediates and polymers chain at its Belle-Etoile site at Rhone-Alpes. This project could lead to the loss of 40 positions and the creation of four new jobs.

The downsizing of the Valence site, also in Rhone-Alpes, to bring production in line with current and future fiber sales volumes, is aimed more particularly at concentrating production on a single polymerisation line, it added. This project could lead to the loss of 80 positions and the creation of 35 new jobs.

The competitiveness plan drawn up for the Melle site in Poitou-Charentes includes a series of actions targeting production process enhancement, reorganisation and skills development. The implementation of this plan could lead to the elimination of 12 positions and the creation of two new jobs.

The company had scheduled an extraordinary meeting of its Central Works Council on 27 March.

Rhodia said it would do everything in its power to limit the impact on employees and to ensure that redeployment was provided under the best possible conditions.

($1 = €0.73)

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By: Hilde Ovrebekk
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