Laser firm General Scanning cuts staff

Laser technology developer General Scanning of Watertown, MA, announced Nov. 11 that it has reduced its staff by 70 employees. The workers were cut from the company's manufacturing facilities in Massachusetts and California and from its worldwide sales and service group. The reduction represents 8% of General Scanning's workforce.

The company cited the semiconductor industry slowdown, caused by the Asian financial crisis, as the reason for the cuts and other cost-containing measures. The company's sales to Asia have declined 40%.

Despite General Scanning's overall cost-cutting, sales of its instrumentation and component products, including laser imaging for medical applications, have surpassed sales for the same period last year, the firm reported. General Scanning announced last month that it has signed a merger agreement with Lumonics of Kanata, Ontario, another laser technology developer. Pending shareholder approval, the new company will be called GSI Lumonics (SCAN 11/11/98).