The merged company Heinz Kraft will result in the closure of seven production facilities in North America and more layoffs, dpa quoted the company as saying Thursday. The seven production facilities are to be closed in the next one to two years and about 2,600 jobs are to be eliminated, a spokesman for the company said. The decision is a difficult one, the company said, but it is necessary to eliminate excess capacity at the new combined company. "This will make Kraft Heinz more globally competitive and accelerate the company's future growth," Kraft Heinz said in a statement. Heinz and Kraft announced their merger in March, saying it would create the fifth-largest food and beverage company in the world. In addition to Heinz ketchup, the company has processed meat, cheese products, other sauces and beverages in its portfolio. The job cuts represent about 6 percent of the two companies' combined workforce and follow an announcement in August of 2,500 layoffs. Kraft Heinz operates 41 factories in North America. US star investor Warren Buffett linked with Brazilian private equity firm 3G Capital through his Berkshire Hathaway investment fund to help seal the deal with a combined injection of 10 billion dollars in capital. -- SPA 01:48 LOCAL TIME 22:48 GMT تغريد
