Boeing to cut workers at California satellite plants

Source: Reuters

21 May, 2008, 2354 hrs IST, REUTERS

WASHINGTON: Boeing Co, passed over for a potential $3.6 billion Air Force satellite deal, said on Wednesday it plans to lay off about 750 workers in Southern California because of a downturn in its satellite assembly and integration business.

The company blamed U.S. government delays in awarding a pair of multibillion-dollar satellite contracts as well as a loss to Lockheed Martin Corp last week in a battle for a contract for a new generation of global positioning satellites known as GPS III.

"The stretching out of government contract awards, along with a continuing lighter demand in the commercial marketplace for large, high-power satellites, has created a surplus in the work force that must be addressed now so that we are competitive," Greg Cooning, general manager of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems business unit, said in a statement.

The government has delayed the Pentagon's planned Transformational Satellite Communications System and a weather satellite system known as Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites System.


Read more: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/3060803.cms

It's what the American auto industry is now doing.

Boeing to outsource F-18 components to India

28 Apr, 2008, 0515 hrs IST

NEW DELHI: US civil and defence aerospace major Boeing has decided to outsource two critical components of the F-18 Super Hornet combat aircraft to India and the order for one of them could go to the Tatas.

Lt Gen Jeffrey B. Kohler, Boeing vice president for international strategy, told the India Strategic defence magazine that as a “responsible world player in aerospace, Boeing wanted a long-term, trusted partnership with India and that the orders for these two components are being placed now irrespective of whether or not the company wins the tender for 126 Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA).”

Both the components are made with sophisticated composite materials, appropriate technology for which will be transferred to India. Details are to be given later.

Mr Kohler said that one of these two fighter jet components could be outsourced to the Tatas, with which it had earlier tied up a $500 million agreement for titanium floor beams for the hot-selling new generation Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft that Air India has also ordered.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/Boeing_to_outsource_F-18_components_to_India/articleshow/2989194.cms

:mad: I loathe Boeing.

My father lost his job in 1988 after 25 years of employment to accommodate the needs of the strike concessions at the time. Double edged sword even when you strike the company comes out on top. It's not like they will say well I guess we will take the hit in profits... they will just go after employees that don't have a union to pay for the accommodations given to employees of a union.

Boeing should remember that they wouldn't be in this trouble if they didn't try to screw the US tax payer by taking advantage of a non-compete contract... tisk tisk.

I worked at Seal Beach for a while .... This has been coming for a long while ..... So Cal has been losing aerospace workers ever since Senators Cranston and Hayakawa retired in the 80's ....

I suspect most will land on their feet. Lockheed Martin will surely hire a bunch of them, and Northrop Grumman will probably pick up a few, too.

I believe there's a chronic shortage of experienced talent, which is projected to become worse in the next 10 years with the impending retirement of the current generation of satellite engineers.