Hi-tech company cuts 640 jobs

A high-tech US company announced the loss of 640 jobs today by confirming the closure of its Dublin factory.

Information technology group 3Com will wind down the manufacturing plant in Blanchardstown early next year.

A staff of 35 will stay on working in research and development and marketing.

In a statement, 3Com said they were outsourcing all manufacturing operations as part of a cost-cutting programme – a move affecting 1,000 jobs worldwide.

The company has come under pressure from a global slump in the IT and communications sectors.

The Dublin plant, which once employed more than 1,000 workers, is 3Com’s last manufacturing site.

Work at other factories in California and Singapore has already been contracted to manufacturers in the Far East.

In May last year, 3Com closed a research and development site in Galway, with the loss of 23 jobs.

The company has cut 6,000 jobs around the world over the past two years.

Company president and chief executive Bruce Claflin said: “These actions further enhance 3Com’s ability to bring competitive and comprehensive networking solutions to the enterprise market.”

3Com provides voice and data networking products, services and solutions for the information technology sector.