Cummins to Reduce Worldwide Professional Workforce by at Least 500 Employees in Response to Global Economic Slowdown.COLUMBUS, Ind. -- Cummins Inc. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange : CMI (Computer-Managed Instruction) Using computers to organize and manage an instructional program for students. It helps create test materials, tracks the results and monitors student progress. ) announced today that it will reduce its professional workforce worldwide by at least 500 employees - or approximately 3.5 percent - by the end of 2008 as a result of the continued deterioration de·te·ri·o·ra·tion n. The process or condition of becoming worse. in the U.S. economy and many other key markets around the world. The employee reductions will come from all parts of the Company. In order to minimize the impact of involuntary involuntary adj. or adv. without intent, will, or choice. Participation in a crime is involuntary if forced by immediate threat to life or health of oneself or one's loved ones, and will result in dismissal or acquittal. INVOLUNTARY. employment actions, the Company has decided to offer a voluntary retirement package to certain active professional employees in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. based on a clearly defined set of criteria. Those employees being offered a chance to participate in the program will have until December 11 to accept the compensation packages, which include salary and continuation of benefits, including health care, for nine months following their retirements. The remainder of the reductions will be involuntary. Employees affected by these job actions will, in most cases, be notified by December 18 and the reductions are expected to take effect by December 31. The costs associated with the employee reductions will be recognized in the Company's fourth quarter earnings. "Cummins already has taken a number of actions across the company to try to bring costs in line with our reduced current demand and to meet the expected challenges of 2009," said Cummins Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Tim Solso. "Despite those efforts, we have now reached a point where we will have to take more significant steps to reduce our professional workforce around the world." Cummins has deployed its "rings of defense" approach to reducing costs at manufacturing and logistics locations worldwide. The actions taken so far include: * Initiating temporary plant shutdowns, shortened work weeks and extending traditional holiday closing periods; * Reducing by several hundred the number of contingent workers contingent worker n. A temporary or part-time worker, usually one working under contract for a fixed period or a specific project. in manufacturing and logistics locations around the world; * Eliminating overtime in many locations; * Eliminating nearly 100 hourly positions in the Company's Fuel Systems plant in Juarez, Mexico, and another 85 hourly employees in the Mid-Range engine plant in Darlington, U.K. In addition, Cummins has aggressively cut costs and reduced spending in all areas, including: * Prioritizing IT and capital spending capital spending Spending for long-term assets such as factories, equipment, machinery, and buildings that permits the production of more goods and services in future years. to focus on the Company's most pressing needs and projects; * Severely restricting hiring across most of the Company; * Cutting discretionary spending, such as travel and conferences. Cummins will continue to use its rings of defense strategy to reduce manufacturing and logistics costs in the future, as well as continue looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. other ways to cut costs throughout the Company. "These are difficult times, but in many ways we are better positioned to weather a downturn than at any time in our history," Solso said. "Our debt is less than 15 percent of our total capital. We have healthy cash balances and our business operations Business operations are those activities involved in the running of a business for the purpose of producing value for the stakeholders. Compare business processes. The outcome of business operations is the harvesting of value from assets continue to generate cash. We also have a $1.1 billion revolving credit Revolving Credit A line of credit where the customer pays a commitment fee and is then allowed to use the funds when they are needed. It is usually used for operating purposes, fluctuating each month depending on the customers current cash flow needs. line for additional liquidity. "We are committed to doing what is necessary to emerge from this downturn a stronger company and resume our recent history of strong growth once our markets begin to improve." About Cummins Cummins Inc., a global power leader, is a corporation of complementary business units that design, manufacture, distribute and service engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission solutions and electrical power generation systems. Headquartered in Columbus, Indiana Columbus (IPA: [kəˈlʌm.bəs]) is the county seat of Bartholomew County, Indiana. The population was 39,059 at the 2000 census. The current mayor is Fred Armstrong. , (USA) Cummins serves customers in approximately 190 countries and territories through a network of more than 500 company-owned and independent distributor locations and approximately 5,200 dealer locations. Cummins reported net income of $739 million on sales of $13.05 billion in 2007. Press releases can be found on the Web at www.cummins.com. Forward-looking disclosure statement Information provided in this release that is not purely historical are forward-looking statements forward-looking statement A projected financial statement based on management expectations. A forward-looking statement involves risks with regard to the accuracy of assumptions underlying the projections. within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA) implemented several significant substantive changes affecting certain cases brought under the federal securities laws, including changes related to pleading, discovery, liability, class representation and awards fees and of 1995, including statements regarding the company's expectations, hopes, beliefs and intentions on strategies regarding the future. It is important to note that the company's actual future results could differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements because of a number of factors, including, but not limited to, general economic, business and financing conditions, labor relations, governmental action, competitor pricing activity, expense volatility and other risks detailed from time to time in Cummins Securities and Exchange Commission filings. |
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