Zig&Zag: Now Sony management change, layoffs

[Acert93]

10,000 Layoffs, 6% of workforce: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9434537/

TOKYO - Sony Corp. said Thursday it will cut 10,000 jobs globally, slash the number of factories and cut costs by $1.8 billion in an ambitious restructuring bid to revive its stumbling electronics business. The Japanese company — under new management since March — said it expected a group net loss of 10 billion yen ($90 million) in current fiscal year. Plunging prices of consumer electronics and missteps with its Walkman portable music players have taken a hefty toll on earnings.

The changes, to be put in place by the end of fiscal 2007, which runs through March 2008, would result in a reduction of 4,000 workers in Japan and 6,000 outside the country, while factories would be cut from the present 65 to 54, company officials said. With more than 151,000 employees worldwide, that amounts to about a 6 percent cut in its workforce

President Ryoji Chubachi, also head of the electronics division, conceded that his company wasn’t making products that people wanted to buy and that Sony’s technological prowess had declined. Sony said it would focus now on so-called “champion products†including the PlayStation 3, Bravia liquid crystal display televisions and the Walkman portable music players.
“There can be no revival for Sony without recovery in our TV business,†Chubachi said. “We are definitely feeling that the recovery is underway.â€

Sony Europe chief will step down: http://www.tomshardware.com/hardnews/20050921_131454.html

GamesIndustry.biz is reporting that the man credited for establishing the PSP brand in Europe, Chris Deering, will retire from the presidency of Sony Europe, effective the end of this year.

Nnot huge changes overall, but still newsworthy.

 

[London Geezer]

“There can be no revival for Sony without recovery in our TV business,â€￾ Chubachi said. “We are definitely feeling that the recovery is underway.â€￾

At last they got that! What they need to do is stop pricing themselves out of the LCD/Plasma/whatever market, when the market is filled with better technology at lower prices to boot.

 

[one]

http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/200509/05-050E/

Sony Group Mid-Term Corporate Strategy FY2005-FY2007 Strengthening Group Performance through Revitalization of Electronics

• Concentrating Investment on Semiconductors and Key Component Devices

Blu-ray Disc-Related Devices/Imagers/Cell

We will continue to strengthen our development programs in Blu-ray disc-related devices, such as blue-violet laser diodes that are at the heart of the realization of HD World. CCD and CMOS image sensors, which are already highly competitive, remain a focus for continuing enhancement.

Establishment of Cell Development Center

Broadband infrastructure is rapidly expanding and the Cell processor, with its advanced functionality and compatibility across a range of products and applications, will be the key component device. Sony will establish the Cell Development Center under the direct supervision of Sony's CEO to promote development of Cell-based technology, products and applications.

 

[London Geezer]

Establishment of Cell Development Center

Broadband infrastructure is rapidly expanding and the Cell processor, with its advanced functionality and compatibility across a range of products and applications, will be the key component device. Sony will establish the Cell Development Center under the direct supervision of Sony's CEO to promote development of Cell-based technology, products and applications.

Wow, so i guess they ARE taking Cell seriously and that it will be the centre of many appliances. PS3 Fridges are just around the corner!

 

[one]

Wow, so i guess they ARE taking Cell seriously and that it will be the centre of many appliances. PS3 Fridges are just around the corner!

Sorry it's a product domain covered by Toshiba
http://www.toshiba.co.jp/living/refrigerators/index_j.htm

 

[Titanio]

Playstation/Cell seems to have done well out of this, but it only makes sense given that videogames are Sony's best business right now.

Also, according to GameFront, Sony plans to start making greater use of their film collection for games conversions. Makes sense, internal Sony divisions are often very indifferent to one another, they need to start co-operating more.

Sony has so much content across its divisions - PS3 could benefit a lot if they actually got their act together.

 

[Josh378]

I'm telling you guys...in 2012...Were all going to be under the control a self-awared 3,000,000 SPU CELL who creates machines to take over the world...... and a 512,000,000 MB or XDR ram to go with it!!!!

DOWN WITH SONY!!!!

-Josh378

 

[Bobbler]

I'm telling you guys...in 2012...Were all going to be under the control a self-awared 3,000,000 SPU CELL who creates machines to take over the world...... and a 512,000,000 MB or XDR ram to go with it!!!!

DOWN WITH SONY!!!!

-Josh378

I welcome our new master. All hail Cell!

 

[expletive]

Wow, so i guess they ARE taking Cell seriously and that it will be the centre of many appliances. PS3 Fridges are just around the corner!

They're actually going to release an inflatable pre-renedered fridge first, then the real one next year.



J

 

[Carl B]

While we're on the Cell discussion:

Lastly, in a nod to the importance Cell may hold for Sony as a future product differentiator, Sony has indicated the intent to invest an additional $3 billion into the semiconductor division. One of the root causes for diminished margins at Sony of late has been the dependence on externally produced componentry, and it is Sony's intention to re-internalize key aspects of procurement in order to cut costs as well as regain technology leadership.

http://psinext.e-mpire.com/index.php?categoryid=17&m_articles_articleid=200

 

[dubyateeeff]

I'm telling you guys...in 2012...Were all going to be under the control a self-awared 3,000,000 SPU CELL who creates machines to take over the world...... and a 512,000,000 MB or XDR ram to go with it!!!!

DOWN WITH SONY!!!!

-Josh378

And they say PS3 wont be able to do Killzone in realtime

 

[avaya]

Looks like it's pretty certain that future Bravia's will be using CELLs too. Pretty good news.

 

[expletive]

Can someone explain how a cell processor in a TV or appliance is necessary or makes any sense whatsoever?

J

 

[MfA]

Well, it's a decent DSP ...

 

[London Geezer]

What chipset is Sony using to do their Wega Engine image processing on those very overpriced TVs?
I think Cell would do that job just fine, and have a lot of juice left for other things.

 

[scooby_dooby]

Isn't that complete overkill? CELL can decode dozens of HDTV streams simultaneously, even a scaled down versiuon would see like totaly overkill.

One thing comes to mind, if CELL and BR both fail to achieve mass market success, Sony is in some big trouble it seems...

 

[Lazy8s]

The PlayStation business hasn't performed well for a while now. Weighing it with so much responsibility will be risky over the next several years.

 

[London Geezer]

Isn't that complete overkill? CELL can decode dozens of HDTV streams simultaneously, even a scaled down versiuon would see like totaly overkill.

One thing comes to mind, if CELL and BR both fail to achieve mass market success, Sony is in some big trouble it seems...

Well a 7/8 SPEs Cell would be very overkill, but there are smaller versions. If not, i'm sure Sony's philosophy (cram everything in one piece of hardware) will be helped. You might see Cell powered TVs with online components, integrated BDROM, MS/SD/CF slots, 29 USB ports, 3 HDDs, 5" 1/4 Floppy disk drive (who remembers them?), and ice maker.

 

[London Geezer]

The PlayStation business hasn't performed well for a while now. Weighing it with so much responsibility will be risky over the next several years.

It hasn't? That's news to me... It certainly is their best performing division.

 

[Carl B]

Isn't that complete overkill? CELL can decode dozens of HDTV streams simultaneously, even a scaled down versiuon would see like totaly overkill.

One thing comes to mind, if CELL and BR both fail to achieve mass market success, Sony is in some big trouble it seems...

Cell doesn't have to achieve mass-market success per se on it's own in order to have been a success. Though it might seem like overkill due to it's capabilities, if Sony's expecting Cell to eventually cost less to put into it's electronics than chips that were procured from outside the company (which now constitutes a large percentage of the controller chips Sony uses) then Cell would have served an important purpose.

Since Toshiba is less constrained in terms of Cell applications (no console business), I think the ways in which they use Cell in the future will be indicative of business areas in which Cell makes sense from a performance/costs perspective, relative to alternatives.