Textron Aviation is offering a voluntary early retirement program for eligible workers and will close two of its 14 U.S. service centers in an effort to improve its “cost competitiveness,” the company announced late last week. Employees company-wide received a letter with the offer on Thursday, and in a statement, the Cessna and Beechcraft manufacturer said: “We are taking a number of proactive steps to streamline our business and best position ourselves for the future.” A Textron spokesperson confirmed the offer does not apply to workers in its Bell Helicopter division.
The budget-tightening also includes downsizing two service centers to mobile support stations. The company service centers, located at Atlanta De Kalb-Peachtree Airport and Wilmington, Delaware’s New Castle Airport, are among those acquired in its purchase of Beechcraft. Closing these service centers by year-end will “better align our customer service footprint with market demand,” according to the statement.