November 12, 2007—GE Consumer & Industrial has announced it will lay off 1,400 workers and close seven incandescent light bulb plants in response to demand from consumers seeking more energy-efficient lighting.
The company will focus more of its resources on developing and producing compact fluorescent lighting (CFL) and LED products at a time when incandescents have fallen out of favor with consumers, businesses, and even governments. China and Australia, for example, have signaled their intent to phase out incandescents, and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is encouraging the use of CFLs.
For GE, the announcement is the latest twist in a restructuring trend that had already impacted 3,000 jobs from facility closures, work transfers, employee reductions, and sales of operations at sites in the US, Europe, China, Indonesia, Latin America, and India. Now, all lighting in operations in Rio de Janeiro will cease, impacting 900 jobs. The US and Mexico will see about 505 jobs affected as some are transferred among other sites.
GE says it is investing in new lighting technologies, such as LEDs, organic LEDs, and high- efficiency incandescents. In the last four years, GE has reportedly invested more than $200 million on energy-efficient lighting.
For more information about GE’s energy-efficient appliances and lighting, visit the company’s Ecomagination Web site.
