Clariant To Cut 500 Jobs

Swiss specialty chemical firm Clariant plans to cut an additional 500 jobs during the first half of this year. According to a Clariant spokesman, CEO Hariolf Kottmann revealed the cutbacks at a recent investor conference. The new layoffs will come on top of 3,200 layoffs revealed last year. The firm will provide details when it announces fourth-quarter earnings on Feb. 16. According to the spokesman, the cutbacks are a continuation of the firm’s production optimization strategy. In November 2009, the firm said it was weighing closure of sites in Huningue, France; Pontypridd, Wales; Cuernavaca, Mexico; Onsan, South Korea; and parts of plants in Gendorf and Frankfurt, Germany (C&EN, Nov. 30, 2009, page 18). The spokesman says the firm is still reviewing assets for closure and it expects to “nominate” additional plants for closure in mid-February.