Textron Aviation, which closed a deal in March to acquire Beechcraft Corp., briefed employees April 23 on the plan to eliminate “approximately 750 full-time and contract employees.”
Analysts told The Wichita Eagle that the number (roughly 8 percent of the combined workforce of Cessna and Beechcraft) was at or below the number of reductions expected when the deal was announced.
“This is an extremely difficult, yet necessary, step in order to realign the combined businesses with a vision for strengthening the new Textron Aviation segment,” Textron Aviation Senior Vice President Jim Walters wrote in the letter to staff. The Eagle reported that 575 of the employees being laid off work in Wichita.
The company declined to provide comment beyond the contents of the one-page letter.
Textron CEO Scott C. Donnelly presented the detailed purchase plan in December, and said then that some number of positions would be eliminated. The $1.4 billion deal was completed quickly, and the company has emphasized that customer service remains a priority, promising a transition that will be seamless, from the customer perspective.
Textron Aviation in March chose three Beechcraft executives and 11 from Cessna to comprise the new leadership team.
Jim Moore
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