MANCHESTER ­- One of the state's largest manufacturing employers, Osram Sylvania, is eliminating 49 positions at its Manchester plant, 655 South Willow St., citing a consumer shift toward LED and solid state lighting, and a decline in incandescent technology.

"The shifting of the traditional lighting business from a growth to a declining market is requiring the company to consolidate certain production lines to another facility with existing capacity," said Anne Guertin, a company spokesperson based in Danvers, Mass. "Transition of these lines will begin immediately, with an expected completion date of August."

The work is being transferred to a plant in Juarez, Mexico, she said.

Three lamp finishing production lines will remain in Manchester, which will also continue to supply components for lamp finishing to other plants. Guertin declined to report the number of employees remaining at the Manchester plant, citing a company policy.

The company has locations in Hillsborough, Exeter and Manchester in New Hampshire. With more than 1,000 employees at the three locations, it is among the top five manufacturing employers in the state.

"We had two plants that were under-utilized, so we are moving one line and combining them," Guertin said.

The company's manual-mount lighting production line was shifted to Juarez from Manchester in 2008.

Osram, headquartered in Munich, Germany, has more than 35,000 employees and 53 production plants in 18 countries around the world.