Hewlett-Packard who six months ago said that they were looking to get out of the PC business is now looking to merger its Personal Systems and Imaging and Printing divisions in an effort to cut costs. the move could lead to “significant” layoffs claim analysts.
At this stage HP is refusing to comment on the story after AllThingsD claimed overnight that the alignment of the PC and printing groups is the latest cost-cutting and streamlining exercise, following the appointment of CEO Meg Whitman.
It follows HP’s decision to hang onto its PC-making division, which is the world’s largest, rather than sell it off, amid falling sales and a drop in revenue.
2012 has already been a turbulent year for Hewlett-Packard, with the company vowing to turn its disastrous WebOS acquisition into an open source success story.
The operating system cost HP $1.2 billion back in 2010, but the failure of the HP TouchPad and Pre 3 devices, left the company looking for a way out.
The IPG, long the saviour of the company’s financial reports, has also seen a drop-off lately, with earnings falling 7 percent to $6.3 billion in the last quarter.
Although HP has so far refused to comment on the report, it is thought that joining the divisions will make it easier for the company to sell PCs and printers to the same folks – consumers and businesses.
HP will hope that this, yet to be confirmed, reshuffling operation will help to revive fortunes after a dodgy couple of years, fueled largely by indecision at the top.
