Hitachi to slash 1,200 HQ posts

Japanese engineering giant Hitachi has unveiled plans to axe two-thirds of the employees at its Tokyo headquarters.

The group, which recently won a £1.2 billion order to build trains for the east coast main line at its plant in County Durham, said the shake-up was aimed at “improving the efficiency and speed” of its business.

Hitachi currently employs about 1,800 staff at its head office in the Japanese capital, but this will fall to about 600 by next March under its “smart transformation” strategy, with some staff moving into a separate professional services division.

A spokesman said: “These reforms are being instituted to sharpen Hitachi’s strategic focus and strengthen Hitachi’s global management. The project has been initiated with the goal of transforming Hitachi into a global major player.”