Rafel Torres, export manager of Peter Kaiser, has been laid off along with 38 other employees at the company’s headquarters in Pirmasens because of a 25 percent drop in outstanding orders. His duties will be taken over by the company’s general sales manager, Claus Schmidt. The German manufacturer of women’s shoes has currently a staff of 505 persons in Pirmasens and 240 in Portugal. Executives have told the German press that the company lost money last year as its production declined to just over 850,000 pairs from nearly one million in 2002. The number of styles will be reduced. Another 11 employees may be let go if the demand doesn’t stabilize with the GDS fair in March.