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Just a day after making a splash at the Consumer Electronics Show with its
thin PCs, Lenovo on Jan. 7 announced plans to lay off 2,500 employees worldwide
during the first quarter of 2009, representing about 11 percent of its work
force.

The Singapore-based PC maker with U.S.
headquarters in Research Triangle Park, N.C.,
said in a statement that the changes would "help the company increase its
efficiencies and become more competitive in the face of the continuing global
economic downturn."

Lenovo said it also plans to reduce executive compensation by 30 to 50 percent,
including merit pay and long-term incentives, as well as performance payments
in 2009.

As part of the reorganization, Scott DiValerio, Lenovo senior vice president
and president for the Americas,
who has led the Americas Group sales organization for the past year and had sometimes
been credited as the architect of Lenovo’s current channel program, will be
leaving the company. The Americas Group will now report to Rory Read, senior
vice president of operations, Lenovo said in its statement.
 
"Although the integration of the IBM PC
business for the past three years was a success, our last quarter’s performance
did not meet our expectations," Yang Yuanqing, Lenovo’s chairman of the
board, said in a statement. "We are taking these actions now to ensure
that in an uncertain economy our business operates as efficiently and
effectively as possible, and continues to grow in the future."

Lenovo also said it would relocate its call center operations from Toronto
to Morrisville, N.C.,
the company’s main site in North America. Lenovo said
the move is designed to help it make the most of its real estate and facilities
investments, and also help it better serve customers by bringing the call
center team closer to its marketing and sales functions.

As part of the reorganization, Lenovo will consolidate its China
and Asia Pacific organizations, currently operated as separate business units.

Lenovo expects the reorganization to save the company $300 million during its
2009 to 2010 fiscal year, which ends March
31, 2010.

"The actions we are taking today are not easy,
and we will act with compassion and respect for the individuals in our company
who are most affected," William J. Amelio, Lenovo’s president and CEO,
said in a statement. "As hard as this news is for all of our Lenovo
employees, we believe the steps we are taking today are necessary for Lenovo to
compete in today’s economy, and in the long run, will help us to continue to
deliver exceptionally engineered PCs to our customers worldwide."

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