Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. has cut 446 positions from its domestic workforce, which includes operations in Savannah, Brunswick, Appleton, Wisconsin, Long Beach and Lincoln, California, Palm Beach, Florida, Las Vegas, Nevada, Dallas, Texas, Cahokia, Illinois, and Westfield, Massachusetts.
The exact number of workers affected by cuts in Savannah was not available, but Heidi Fedak, director of corporate communications and media relations, said the cuts were about 3.5% of the company's domestic workforce. The company employs nearly 18,000 people around the world and about 10,000 between Savannah and Brunswick.
"The reductions primarily affected business-support and administrative functions at our domestic sites. Direct labor such as manufacturing and maintenance was largely unaffected," Fedak said.
The layoffs follow the opening of the company's new service center, Gulfstream East Campus, on the grounds of Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. The 202,000-square-foot campus sits on 24 acres on the former site of the old terminal building at the airport and opened in mid-September.
The new center was expected to create about 200 new jobs, and Fedak said the company is continuing to hire technicians for their newly opened service centers in Appleton, Wisconsin, and Savannah, as well as for the planned openings in Palm Beach, Florida, and Van Nuys, California.
"We are growing and hiring in certain areas of our business aircraft-focused roles, such as manufacturing and maintenance, but reducing in others primarily business support and administrative functions," she said.
Through a statement the company said they routinely evaluate their costs, capabilities and workforce requirements as part of their normal, disciplined business practices.
"And sometimes, when we expand in one area, we have an offsetting contraction in another. In the past 10 years, Gulfstream has grown considerably, more than doubling its workforce. In order to ensure Gulfstream's continued long-term success, we must consistently evaluate the size and structure of the business and adjust accordingly. We will continue to hire and add resources in areas aligned with our strategic growth plan, while judiciously consolidating, integrating and streamlining resources that no longer align with that plan," the statement continued.
"We regret the impact these decisions have on our employees. Depending on individual eligibility criteria, employees may receive benefits that include severance and benefits extensions."
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