Adtech parent to lay off up to 500 in N. America

Spirent PLC, parent of Honolulu-based Adtech, said today it plans to lay off 500 employees, almost all of them at its operations in North America

The London-based telecommunications concern said it was making the move in anticipation of tougher market conditions.

While Adtech is considered part of Spirent's North American operations, a local representative said it is not yet clear whether any Hawaii jobs will be lost.

The layoffs, which amount to 6.4 percent of the company's total work force, are part of a reorganization and cost-cutting effort aimed at shielding Spirent from the downturn in the global telecoms business. Spirent, an equipment manufacturer, has already cut about 250 of the targeted jobs, with the remaining layoffs to come within a few months, the firm said.

Spirent's six-month earnings were higher than for the same period last year but still came in below analysts' expectations. Pretax profit before goodwill, amortization and one-off items was 73.6 million pounds ($106.7 million), up from 52.8 million pounds last year.

Hawaii government improves tech ranking

Hawaii's government has made several technological improvements in the past year, according to a national survey of state e-commerce initiatives.

Hawaii now ranks 15th out of the 50 states in the Electronic Commerce and Business Regulation Category, up from 49th place last year, according to the fourth annual Digital State Survey. The state also rose to 23rd place from 47th in the Taxation and Revenue rankings.

In Hawaii, several professional license renewals and tax filings are available online through a state contract with the Hawaii Information Consortium.

The survey was conducted by the Center for Digital Government and the nonprofit Progress & Freedom Foundation.

Bank of Hawaii plans new Guam initiative

Bank of Hawaii said yesterday that it will launch a new program to help stimulate economic development on Guam.

The bank said it will invest $500,000 in a mutual fund called Access Capital Strategies, which will, in turn, invest in community development projects in the U.S. territory.

The mutual fund's staff will work with local bankers, alternative lenders and government leaders to determine the specific community development projects that will be supported using the bank's investment, Bank of Hawaii said.

David Sand, president of Boston-based Access Capital Strategies, said Bank of Hawaii is the mutual fund's first investor in the Pacific.

Travel agents protest commission cuts

Travel agents in Hawaii and across the country staged protests today in response to a six-year effort by the airlines to reduce ticket commissions paid to the agents. The American Society of Travel Agents, which has 15,000 member agencies nationwide, organized leafleting and office closures to draw attention to the complaints of agents.

Most major U.S. airlines said last week they would reduce the maximum commission paid to agents for U.S. travel and travel between the U.S. and Canada to $20. Airlines are trying to lower costs by selling more tickets over the Internet.

Matson Intermodal gets magazine's top ranking

Matson Intermodal System Inc., a Matson Navigation Co. subsidiary that markets transportation services, was ranked No. 1 in its class in a recent survey by Logistics magazine.

Matson Intermodal received top scores for all five categories, including performance, value, technology, service and operations.

The survey was based on the responses of 3,000 readers. Intermodal refers to the marketing of multiple forms of transportation, such as rail and shipping.