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Mesa's TRW cuts jobs, shortens work week(Tribune, The (Mesa, AZ) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Mar. 27--With the auto-sales slump showing no signs of waning, TRW Automotive has trimmed more jobs at its east Mesa air-bag plant and has put remaining workers on short work weeks to cope with decreased demand, a company official said. TRW spokesman John Wilkerson said about 25 people have been laid off since the start of the year, which followed other reductions late last year. About 480 employees still work at the plant, down from about 570 in November and 3,000 at the peak of TRW's Mesa operations in 1999. "The first quarter of 2009 has gotten worse from the production standpoint," he said. "The Big 3 (General Motors, Ford and Chrysler) did a lot of closures of assembly plants in January. ... It's just a time that we have to get through." The TRW plant at 11202 E. Germann Road makes inflators for air bags that protect vehicle occupants in collisions. The company, which is based in Livonia, Mich., operates autoparts plants worldwide. In past months, orders from foreign auto producers such as Honda softened the blow of the decline in domestic auto production, but now the decline has spread globally, Wilkerson said. "It's really not great for anyone," he said. "We're hopeful that car sales will pick up ... and we're hoping to see that trend start as soon as possible." But it may be a while before the turnaround arrives. CSM Worldwide, a firm that provides market forecasting and other services to the auto industry, said about 11.5 million new vehicles are expected to be sold in the United States this year, which is the lowest volume since 1982. A slight recovery to 13.6 million units is expected next year as credit loosens for car purchases. CONTACT WRITER: (480) 898-6537 or [email protected] To see more of The Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.eastvalleytribune.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Tribune, Mesa, Ariz. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |