Sony Optical Drive Division Set To Close As Restructuring Continues

the Sony optical drive manufacturing division is due to close as part of an ongoing restructuring programme at the company, according to reports

The Japan Times says company officials confirmed the closure of Optiarc, a wholly owned Sony optical drive subsidiary, adding that production would cease in March next year before being liquidated.

Sony will offer early retirement to 400 of the unit’s employees in Japan and abroad while other workers will be transferred to different positions within the group.

Sony Optical Drive

The company announced record losses in April of $6.4 billion (£4bn) after four years without recording a profit.

It reacted by announcing plans to cut six percent of its global workforce in an effort to cut costs. It has been suggested that half of the 10,000 job losses would come from reorganising businesses making chemicals and small display panels.

The lay-offs will take place over the next two years and last week, Sony said that it was cutting 15 percent of its mobile division, with 1,000 jobs going before March 2014.

The closure also demonstrates the decreasing importance of optical drives in the age of tablets, while fierce competition has reduced the prices of Sony’s products.

Apple’s new MacBook Pro features no optical drive as the company wants users to download applications through its Mac App Store rather than install them from a disc. Microsoft is moving towards this method with the launch of its Windows App Store as part of Windows 8, which will work equally well on both tablets and PCs.

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