San Diego — Kyocera International of North America has begun consolidating its two U.S.-based wireless handset groups following the acquisition last April of Sanyo Electric’s worldwide handset business by Kyocera’s Japan parent.
The two groups are Kyocera Wireless Corp. (KWC) of San Diego and Kyocera Sanyo Telecom (KSTI) of Chatsworth, Calif.
By the end of Kyocera’s fiscal year on March 31, the consolidation and reorganization will eliminate about 360 total positions at KWC, KSTI and KWC’s subsidiary in India.
The two handset units “will increasingly combine their efforts on sales, marketing, service, business development and customer support in the Americas,” the company said. “The reorganization and reduction in force is the first step in Kyocera’s global integration of its mobile handset business,” the company added.
“By reorganizing and more fully integrating the former assets of Sanyo with those of Kyocera, we will enhance the efficiency and competitiveness of the combined global handset business,” said Rodney Lanthorne, president of Kyocera International and KWC. “While the recent market contraction was a factor, KWC’s profit viability required restructuring. We believe the comprehensive global integration and alignment with the rest of the mobile handset group moves us in the right direction.”
