Lenovo is slashing 1,000 jobs and shutting some facilities in an effort to save $250m a year. The consolidation program comes less than a year after the Chinese PC giant bought the former IBM PC operation.

Reuters reports that a six to 12 month restructuring plan at the vendor will see it cut its headcount by 5 per cent, and that the cuts will be spread across North America, Asia and Europe. The program will cost it $100m in the current quarter, but should yield savings of $250m.

Local reports in the US point to some shifting of facilities, including moving its corporate headquarters from New York state, the home of IBM, to North Carolina.

The restructure was announced just days after the company overhauled its channel operation, launching the Lenovo Partner Network. This will feature two tiers of membership: Business Partner; and Premium.

It will also see a bigger emphasis on the SMB market, with the company pledging to triple the amount if spends on lead generation in this market.®

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