United Technologies (UTC) has announced plans for the further restructuring of its Hamilton Sundstrand subsidiary, formed from the recent merger of Hamilton Standard with Sundstrand. The division will shed 1,500 jobs by the end of next year, reducing its workforce to 16,500, in a move related partly to the merger and partly to a downturn in its aerospace business.
Four of the division's six US plants will shut, which, together with the closure of the former Sundstrand headquarters in Rockford, Illinois, will cut 100,000m² (1.1 million ft²) of floor space. The former Hamilton Standard electronics plants at Windsor Locks, Connecticut, and Colorado Springs will close, with the electronics business - focused on digital engine controls and weapon data systems - to be transferred to former Sundstrand plants in Farmington, Connecticut, and Puerto Rico.
Other changes will see the transfer of the subsidiary's customer support operation from East Windsor to Windsor Locks, with propeller overhaul to be consolidated at Long Beach and in the Netherlands. Hamilton Sundstrand president Ron McKenna says that, without the restructuring, its "ability to compete for and win new business would be reduced".
UTC has restructured its two other aerospace businesses, recently closing virtually its entire Pratt & Whitney engine and Sikorsky helicopter operations at West Palm Beach, Florida, and consolidating at the group's home state of Connecticut, with the net loss of 3,300 jobs. Pratt & Whitney Military Engines will retain its engine and rocket test facilities at the site, consolidating engineering and project management in Connecticut. Sikorsky's adjoining flight test centre and S-76 helicopter completion facility will also close.
Source: Flight International
