TOKYO (AP) -- Sony said Thursday it will close its Alabama recording media plant by September as part of an effort to consolidate production amid tough competition.
Sony Corp. said it will start scaling back operations at the Dothan, Alabama plant beginning April before closing it down by the end of September. About 300 workers will lose their jobs.
The Dothan plant -- which in 1977 became the first Japanese-owned business to operate in Alabama -- manufactures videotape, voice and music recording equipment, and digital storage devices.
Its operations will be consolidated at two factories in northern Japan after the closure, Sony said in a statement.
About 300 employees at the Dothan facility will receive retirement benefits and other allowances, the company said.
The Japanese manufacturing icon, known for products like the PlayStation 3 game console, has cut 20,000 jobs and aims to shave 330 billion yen in costs this year. It will have closed 12 factories by May.
The company's net profit for the October-December quarter jumped to 79.2 billion yen ($861 million) from 10.4 billion yen a year earlier, thanks to strong global theater releases and home DVD sales.
