American solar modules and cells manufacturer, Suniva has confirmed a considerable reduction in its workforce owing to pressure from declining market prices in the US.
The move from the metro-Atlanta headquartered company will impact its employees in the Norcross and Saginaw plants in Georgia and Michigan states respectively.
It will be implemented across all areas of operations at the two facilities.
The proposed job cuts as per Suniva follow the pressures felt by the American solar manufacturers from the steady growth of international manufacturing overcapacity, especially in Asia. Besides, it says the prevailing influx of foreign imports have continuously brought down domestic prices.
The company said in a statement: “Suniva remains committed to U.S. manufacturing and continuing forward as America's leading manufacturer of high-efficiency and high-quality solar products.
“The company is actively investigating all economically-responsible operational structures and will aggressively pursue all avenues that create a fair and rational market for U.S. manufacturers in this important industry.”
Suniva said that despite the US government’s introduction of anti-dumping and countervailing duties on manufacturers in select countries since 2013, there has been a continued growth in overcapacity.
It also said that surplus new overcapacity outside the US have resulted in the decline of the domestic market rates to levels that challenge responsible economic operations for the local manufacturers.
Suniva said that the several companies in construction, manufacturing, and development sectors in the American industry have announced layoffs over the past one year.
It was in December last year, that Suniva had completed expansion of its manufacturing capacity to 450MW at its headquarters, which is said to be its largest since its inception in 2007.