Corel Corp. said Wednesday it will close its Minneapolis office and consolidate digital media operations in California’s Silicon Valley and China.
 
 About 50 people will be affected by the closure, but most will remain with Corel until May, a spokeswoman for the Ottawa computer software company said.

A “small number” of Minneapolis workers will be allowed to work from home and the rest will be offered severance packages, the spokeswoman said.

Corel will incur a one-time $2.2 million restructuring charge in the fourth quarter, the company said in a statement. The company added it expected the full benefits of the restructuring to be realized beginning in 2008’s second half.

“By concentrating our digital media operations in Greater China and Silicon Valley, we will be able to better leverage our global resources and talent while further improving the operational efficiency between our software development, product management, and marketing teams,” Corel Digital Media President and General Manager Jeff Hastings said.

Corel bought and merged the InterVideo software publisher specializing in multimedia programs and Taiwan’s Ulead Systems video, imaging and DVD authoring software in December 2006.

Corel employs about 12,000 people worldwide.

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