Thu, Nov 06, 2008
Latest Company To Feel Effects Of Economic Slump
The latest stop by The Recession Fairy is Kerrville, TX. Mooney
Aircraft announced Wednesday it will cut production as it tries to
sell excess inventory into a slumping marketplace... and fewer
planes in production means fewer workers will be needed to build
them.
The San Antonio Business Journal reports Mooney laid off 229
employees in Kerrville. Company spokesman Dave Franson said the
cutbacks are needed to "balance its finished airplane inventory
with current demand.
"These are temporary adjustments and they only affect our
manufacturing operations," Franson added. "So our (other
operations) will continue to operate normally and be staffed at the
normal level. There will not be any change to existing or potential
customers and we will deliver airplanes as scheduled."
Mooney CEO Bob Gowens told state employment officials the
company couldn't have seen the latest round of layoffs coming.
"These unexpected and unforeseeable conditions are beyond Mooney
Airplane Company's control," Gowens wrote in a letter to the Texas
Workforce Commission. "It was impossible for Mooney Airplane
Company to predict this sudden collapse in demand at the time when
notice would have been required."
As ANN reported, Mooney laid off 80 workers in
June, leaving about 320 workers at its plant at Schreiner Field
(ERV).
Mooney's normal production has been running at about a hundred
planes a year. The production cut comes in a week which has already
seen Grob Aerospace enter full insolvency, and Cessna and Hawker
Beechcraft announce production and workforce cuts.
Franson said the latest layoffs were effective immediately, and
will leave about 91 employees at Mooney. The company hopes to start
building airplanes again when the economy rebounds and demand
increases, he added.
More News
Chaff Thin, narrow metallic reflectors of various lengths and frequency responses, used to reflect radar energy. These reflectors, when dropped from aircraft and allowed to drift d>[...]
“Today, XB-1 took flight in the same hallowed airspace where the Bell X-1 first broke the sound barrier in 1947. I’ve been looking forward to this flight since founding>[...]
“Teaming up with the EAA and Berlin Express for this event in Cincinnati will give warbird fans a unique opportunity to see the aircraft that helped defend freedom and gave t>[...]
Hazardous Weather Information Summary of significant meteorological information (SIGMET/WS), convective significant meteorological information (convective SIGMET/WST), urgent pilot>[...]
Aero Linx: The Nebraska Aeronautics Commission The Nebraska Aeronautics Commission was created by the 1935 Legislature to oversee the development of aviation in the state. The Comm>[...]