A top maker of rear view mirrors and lights for cars is cutting jobs at its Australia plant to shift production to Thailand.
The company cites this exterior mirror with LED-light guides as one of its top products, for the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. (Photo from SMR media department)
Samvardhana Motherson Reflectec (SMR) has cut 90 jobs at its plant at Lonsdale, an industrial suburb of the southern Australian city of Adelaide, according to a report in Manufacturers' Monthly published on Tuesday.
"SMR will cut around 90 jobs at its plant, as it moves production to Thailand," the publication said.
It provided no specific details on where the new jobs in Thailand will be located. SMR is not listed as a Thailand manufacturer, and its corporate website has no information on Thailand operations or plans.
"Samvardhana Motherson Reflectec (SMR) is one of the largest manufacturers of rearview mirrors for passenger cars in the world," the company claims at its main website.
Australian reports said SMR's decision to move jobs to Thailand come despite government support. In 2010, the company received a grant of $2.4 million from the Australian Green Car Innovation Fund to make its mirrors, most of which are exported.
According to the Manufacturers' Monthly, SMR blamed the Australian closing on "the consistently high dollar and increasing manufacturing costs".
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CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story said the number of job cuts in Australia was 500.