Saab Aircraft is to close its international sales and marketing bureau at Windsor, in the UK, as the company cuts back its sales and marketing operation and moves towards a more lease-management orientated role.
The closure, which will take place at the end of November, follows the Swedish company's announcement in October that it will make a decision on whether to withdraw from turboprop manufacturing by the end of 1997. The majority of Saab's 25 Windsor-based staff will lose their jobs, although several are being offered positions in Linkoping.
While Saab claims that a final decision to cease production has not yet been taken, the cutback fuels further the view that production of the Saab 340 and 2000 turboprops will cease by the end of 1999. Saab faces the prospect of its order backlog being eliminated by the second quarter of 1998, should hoped-for new orders from customers such as Mesaba and Crossair fail to materialise.
As part of the re-organisation, Saab will set up a lease-management organisation based in Stockholm headed by Saab's North American marketing boss, Henrik Schroder. The new unit will operate in association with the company's existing leasing division, Stockholm-based Saab Aircraft Credit, managing the portfolio of Saab 340s and 2000s which the manufacturer owns or to which it has financial recourse.
It is estimated that Saab owns about half the 430 Saab 340s in service, and the majority of the 50 Saab 2000s delivered.
Saab's North American marketing office, based near Washington DC, in Sterling, Virginia, will be retained, but will now take on a more asset-management orientated role, as will the Sydney, Australia office. Saab's Hong Kong office had been earmarked for closure, and Sydney will now take responsibility for the Asia Pacific region.
Saab is exhibiting at this month's Dubai air show, with the emphasis on its asset-management plans.
Source: Flight International
