Irvine-based storage products maker Western Digital Corp. is cutting nearly 100 more jobs in Orange County as the company begins to integrate its $17 billion buy of SanDisk Corp. that closed two weeks ago.
The world’s largest disk drive maker is eliminating 81 jobs in Irvine and 18 jobs in Santa Ana, according to filings with California’s Employment Development Department.
The local cuts will take effect by June 17, and 105 jobs in Fremont will be slashed by July 3.
The company entered May with about 1,700 local workers, down 10.7% from a year ago, according to Business Journal research. It was hit particularly hard last year as global PC sales sunk to the lowest levels since the depths of the Great Recession in 2008.
OC’s largest consumer electronics manufacturer initiated a restructuring plan last year that eliminated 180 positions, mostly in the U.S., and primarily in California, which affected engineers, managers and administrative personnel. That round followed a cut of 115 jobs at its headquarters about a year ago.
The company’s recent $17 billion takeover of Milpitas-based SanDisk created the most diversified company in the storage market, with annual sales nearing $20 billion.
The buy came in the wake of Chinese regulators finally approving its $4.8 billion integration of HGST—acquired in March 2012—which includes factories around the globe and 41,000 employees.
Big layoffs typically follow acquisitions, as redundant positions are eliminated across the globe.
Western Digital has cut more than 30,000 jobs companywide in the past five years.
