Amid restructuring, Warren-based Anadigics cellular equipment maker lays off 100 employees

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Warren-based Anadigics, a semiconductor manufacturer, will lay off 100 employees from that location as part of its restructuring plan that will cut 30 percent of its workforce to focus on higher-priced products.

(Star-Ledger file photo)

The cellular and Wi-Fi equipment maker Anadigics will lay off 100 employees from its global headquarters in Warren as part of a restructuring plan that will cut 30 percent of its workforce to focus on higher-priced products, a company spokesman confirmed.

A leading semiconductor manufacturer, Anadigics makes microchips in cell phones, cable boxes, modums and Wi-Fi routers.

Most of the companywide layoffs will take place at the Warren location, which is Anadigics’ main manufacturing facility, said Brian Ribeiro, a spokesman. The affected employees will come from the manufacturing, research and development, and sales and administrative departments, he said. The plant remains in operation.

As part of the restructuring, Anadigics will lay off a total of 140 of its 450 worldwide employees, Ribeiro said. The layoffs were made public last week, at the time of the restructuring announcement. Notice of the Warren job cuts was also posted on the state Department of Labor website.

The higher-priced, lower-volume items that Anadigics will now focus on include producing chips for cable boxes, digital video recorders, Wi-Fi routers and gaming devices. The company will scale back its traditional mobile business, which include chips used for cell phones and tablet computers, Ribeiro said.

Anadigics, which posted sales of $134 million last year, expects to save about $15 million a year from the overhaul.

The company has been struggling since 2011, when its largest client, Blackberry, left.

Last year, Anadigics named its president and chief executive Ron Michels as chairman.

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