As part of the company's global business overhaul plan, Japan's Sony announced on December 9 that it will cease operations at its Westmoreland County plant in Pennsylvania, in the Pittsburgh Metro Area, Associated Press reported. The plant, with a work force of about 560, mainly engages in LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) TV manufacturing, repairs, and logistics. Manufacturing operations will be the first to go, starting at the end of February 2009, and repairs and logistics services will cease to function by March 2010.

The Pittsburgh-area facility will be the first of Sony's 57 manufacturing sites worldwide to end operations. Overall, the company plans to close about 10% of the 57 plants. Moreover, Sony announced a large-scale layoff plan, expecting to cut 4% of its global workforce, or 8,000 jobs, all in the electronics sector by the end of March 2010. By then Sony's investments in the electronics sector will be reduced by one-third as well.