Tucson: Texas Instruments cuts about a dozen workers

Texas Instruments cuts about a dozen workers, citing shift in resources

By Dan Sorenson

ARIZONA DAILY STAR 3/13/2010

Texas Instruments cut “approximate­ly a dozen” employees from its Tucson product design operation Thursday.

A local spokesman said the job cuts were a result of focusing “resources on product areas that offer the highest growth potential.”

He said the company offered the em­ployees a “comprehensive separation package to support their transition,” but no details of the package were given.

The giant chip-making company employed “about 350” before the lay­offs, said Brett Schroer, communica­tions manager for the company’s ana­log signal chain unit in Tucson.

He said jobs cut in the layoffs includ­ed technicians, logistical and adminis­trative support positions. The Tucson unit designs chips for products including smart phones, MP3 players and portable medical devices.

Texas Instruments cut about 20 Tucson jobs in January 2009.

Employment at TI’s Tucson opera­tion has fallen from about 950 full­time- equivalent employees at the end of 2004 to 620 employees at the end of 2008, according to the Star 200 survey of the region’s major employers.

In October 2007 Texas Instruments announced it would cut 300 positions from its Tucson manufacturing opera­tions over the next two years as it closed down its local manufacturing operation.

Contact reporter Dan Sorenson at 573-4185 or dsorenson@azstarnet.com