Holcim’s Mexican arm, Cemex has announced it will lay off 79 people in West Palm Beach this year, starting March 31, even though the demand for cement is on the rise. The downsizing affects workers in accounting, information technology and other support roles, Cemex Spokeswoman Sara Engdahl said. The layoffs will include employees at Cemex’s locations on Belvedere Road and Australian Avenue.
Cemex announced last year that it would save $1 billion over 10 years by outsourcing administrative jobs to IBM. The outsourcing deal with IBM was an effort to run a leaner company, Cemex said at the time. Meanwhile, the Portland Cement Association recently predicted an 8.1 percent spike in cement use this year as the economy improves and homebuilding bounces back.
