SKF to Cut 150 Jobs in France

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) - Swedish bearings-maker AB SKF said Thursday it will lay off 150 workers at a ball bearing plant in France. The cuts at the plant in Fontenay le Comte, in southwestern France, are part of a restructuring program caused by a move of customers from western Europe to eastern Europe and Asia, the company said. SKF said the cuts will take place next year, and that some workers will be offered voluntary retirement programs. SKF, based in Goteborg in southern Sweden, employs about 40,000 workers globally.