Marking the end of an era that began in 1956, IBM Corp is to close its mainframe assembly and test plant in Kingston, New York and transfer the 1,500 people still working there to its Poughkeepsie complex, 25 miles away. No jobs will be lost in the transfer, and the closure will take until the end of next year. IBM estimates it will save $18m with the move. At its peak, in 1985, the plant employed 7,100 people. IBM said it will not simply up and leave, but will help Kingston adjust to the loss – but it hasn’t decided yet whether to sell or lease the facility when it leaves. Separately, the company is expected to announce formally today the personal computer reorganisation that sees almost everything moving out of Boca Raton and up to Raleigh, North Carolina, at a cost of between 1,500 and 2,000 jobs. It will also streamline seven product areas into four: desktop, servers, mobile and service.
