Philips Lighting wants to cut 118 of 350 jobs in Eindhoven R&D department

Philips Lighting wants to cut 118 of the 350 jobs at the research department in Eindhoven. The layoffs are necessary because the company wants to focus more on the internet of things and less on traditional lighting.

The 118 layoffs come after Philips Lighting hired just eighty people last year, a spokesperson said in an article by the Eindhovens Dagblad. “The reorganization is a strategic choice that comes from shifting our focus.”

That focus is now on the internet of things. “We have to respond to that in terms of research. That means we have to move towards a more efficient, more focused research organization.” Philips Lighting says it will help people to find a new job within or outside Philips. The layoffs will come in a few months.

It is unknown what the consequences will be for future Philips Lighting products. The company’s best-known internet-of-things product is its line of Hue lamps.