Nokia this week announced planned changes at its factories in Komarom, Hungary, Reynosa, Mexico and Salo, Finland. The measures follow a review of smartphone manufacturing operations that the company undertook last September, which it says is designed to "increase the company's competitiveness in the diverse global mobile device market."
As a result, some 4,000 people will lose their job.
Plans call for the three factories to focus on smartphone product customization, serving customers based primarily in Europe and the Americas. Device assembly is expected to be transferred to Nokia factories in Asia, where the majority of component suppliers are based.
"With the planned changes, our factories at Komarom, Reynosa and Salo will continue to play an important role serving our smartphone customers," said Niklas Savander, an executive vice president at Nokia.
"They give us a unique ability to both provide customization and be more responsive to customer needs. Shifting device assembly to Asia is targeted at improving our time to market."