Holcim plans to reduce workforce

Holcim plans to reduce the workforce at its Obourg factory in Belgium as part of a cost-cutting program.  The reorganization is necessary to make the plant competitive in the European cement market, Holcim’s Belgian unit said in a statement, without specifying how many jobs would be lost. The plant employs the equivalent of 310 full- time workers, the Belgian newspaper L’Echo reported. The company aims to reduce that number to 180, the paper said.

“Substantial efforts in recent years’’ haven’t resulted in the expected cost savings, Holcim said in the statement. “A drastic improvement in productivity is needed.’’  The reorganization at the Obourg factory will only involve the operational and administrative parts of the business. Holcim aims to increase productivity at the factory to 10,000 tons of cement per person per year.  The company said it has set up meetings with the unions to discuss the plan.