Hasbro to cut 200 jobs

Could this have any impact on the reprinting of Diplomacy?

Hasbro to cut 200 jobs at Massachusetts plant
Boston Business Journal
http://boston.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2008/01/07/daily26.html

Hasbro Inc., the second largest toymaker in the United States, plans
to eliminate 200 jobs at its board-game plant in Massachusetts.

The plan hinges on an agreement with union negotiators to change work
practices at Hasbro's facility in East Longmeadow, the company said in
a statement. The affected jobs include manufacturing and support
staff, the company said.

"While this was a difficult decision, we are optimistic that the union
will work with us to make the changes necessary to allow us to become
competitive and hopefully secure the substantial majority of
manufacturing jobs based in East Longmeadow," David Hargreaves,
Hasbro's executive vice president of finance and global operations,
said in the statement.

Hasbro (NYSE: HAS) said the move is part of a plan to improve
productivity and competitiveness. The plan also calls for investing
$40 million in the factory, $10 million of which will go toward
updating equipment. Most of the company's board games will still be
produced in Massachusetts and Ireland, the company said.

Hasbro, which is based in Pawtucket, R.I., employs 5,800 people
overall.

> Could this have any impact on the reprinting of Diplomacy?

This is potentially very good. None of the cuts were at the Wizards
subsidiary under which Hasbro placed Avalon Hill. Rather, they are
being proposed with the intent of modernizing the production facility on
the opposite coast. It's likely that a lower cost basis for production
will result in more frequent publication of those games, such as
Diplomacy, that do not have a high volume. It's possible that the
re-release of Diplomacy was made in anticipation of the cost cutting
moves.

I feel bad for those who will lose their jobs, but it's likely that
production will be moved completely out of the country if the cuts are
not made. Keeping the production in the US not only retains most of the
domestic jobs, it also provides a quicker response to the market.

Chris