Wed, Jan 28, 2004
GKN Aerospace May Be In The Market
According to a report
in the Seattle Times, Raytheon Aircraft Co. is close to selling off
its Wichita fabrication division to a British company called
GKN.
In the story, which was a next-day follow-up to another article
on the possibility of Boeing selling its on Wichita plant, the
Times says British aerospace supplier GKN Aerospace "is already
close to a deal to buy Raytheon's fabrication division in Wichita."
The newspaper cites an unnamed source identified only as an
executive with a Wichita aerospace supplier with the sale of the
Raytheon Aircraft unit.
Raytheon officials would neither confirm nor deny the
information in the Times report, which was a follow-up to a Sunday
story in which it reported that Boeing Co. is considering selling
its Wichita plant.
"We do not respond to rumors of acquisitions or divestitures,"
says Raytheon Aircraft spokesman Tim Travis.
GKN officials did not respond to the Times' requests for comment
on the report.
If true, this news is not entirely surprising, as Raytheon
Aircraft officials have publicly stated in the past that the
company plans to move to a business model in which its Wichita
plant would only assemble the general aviation and business
aircraft it currently manufactures in order to lower its costs. If
sold, this transfer could be the third piece of work Raytheon
Aircraft has moved to an outside supplier in the past seven
months.
Last July, Raytheon Aircraft said it would move its work
manufacturing plastic parts and radomes to The Nordam Group, a
Tulsa, (OK).-based manufacturer of airplane parts and interiors.
And in November, Raytheon said it would outsource work on its
aircraft wiring harnesses to Labinal Inc.'s facility in Mexico.
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