The Sony Technology Center-Pittsburgh in East Huntingdon and Hempfield has boosted production of the liquid-crystal flat panel televisions, increasing the number of automated assembly lines to five from only two, spokesman Michael Koff said. Sony's first automated assembly lines were installed at the Westmoreland County plant, Koff said.
There is an increase in employment at the Sony plant because the demand for the flat panel sets has grown tremendously, Koff said. The company, however, does not reveal how many sets it produces at the plant, Koff said.
"It's all in favor of the LCDs flat-screen displays, high-definition TVs. We anticipate it increasing even more next year," Koff said.
The Sony Technology Center makes two 46-inch Bravia-model televisions, Koff said. The Westmoreland County plant previously made a 52-inch model set, and will resume production of the 52-inch model later this year, Koff said.
The electronics giant is anticipating that employment in the television assembly unit will increase this year, Koff said, but he declined to comment on projections. The company typically ramps up production in August to get the television sets in the stores and build inventory for the holiday shopping season, and that busy period usually continues through the NFL's Super Bowl, Koff said.
The picture was not so rosy in the spring and summer of 2007, when Sony laid off about 650 of about 1,250 workers at the local plant. The company moved production of its rear-projection television sets to a lower-cost facility in Tijuana, Mexico.
Sony initially announced in March 2007 that about 900 workers would lose their jobs, but local Sony management convinced Sony executives in Japan to produce its Bravia model at the facility. Automation at the local Sony plant has made it more cost-competitive, Koff said.
Some of those former employees involved in television assembly in 2007 were recalled after a short period, Koff said. About 60 of those employees were hired for the Sony At Your Service component repair operation, Koff said.
Pay scales at the Sony complex this year are similar to the wage levels in 2007, Koff said. Wages range from $8.50 an hour for general manufacturing jobs to $20 an hour for skilled technicians, Koff said.
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