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     This story was printed from CdrInfo.com,

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Sony Electronics said on Friday it had cut about 300 jobs in the United States and Mexico, or 1.25 percent of its North American work force, since April in a cost-cutting plan.

Also Friday, a Sony Music spokesman confirmed that the unit this week laid off about 50 employees out of a total of 6,500 workers across the U.S. He declined to comment on future plans for streamlining.

Sony Electronics, which manufactures a wide array of products from camcorders to DVD players, has some 24,000 employees in the U.S. and Mexico, a company spokesman said.

The company has been exploring different options to streamline its operations and save money as it weathers a downturn in the U.S. economy, like many other big companies in the industry.

``The options include the realignment of unprofitable businesses, streamlining some manufacturing facilities and making a more careful selection of investment,'' the spokesman said. He declined to say whether there would be any charges or how much money the company would save with the job cuts since April, the beginning of the company's fiscal year.