Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Piper downsizing, laying off workers


VERO BEACH, Fla. - When Tom Lamkin looked for a spot three years ago to open his deli and convenience store in Vero Beach, he saw opportunity near the airport. 


There was Piper Aircraft; a mainstay in the county for decades.

But Wednesday the company announced layoffs were coming.

“We knew it was coming, we had heard things had been a bit slow over there,” Lamkin said.

Piper employees who stopped in the deli would not talk on the record but say they were notified yesterday of what was to come.

Piper Aircraft announced that  15 to 20% of the current workforce will need to be downsized.

The company has more than 750 employees. It means up to 150 people could get pink slips.

Jackie Carlon,  a Piper Aircraft spokesperson,  says global economic instability and a decline in demand for general aviation aircraft are forcing the layoffs.  “This impacts our employees and our customers so we want to make sure we rightsize the business.”

Carlon says the company was caught a bit off guard by the sluggish sales, after recent years of steady recovery.  She’s optimistic with a new plane awaiting certification, sales will take flight again.

Nearby businesses are hoping that optimism is realized.

“You know hopefully they can turn it around and get things going because Piper is a big part of the city here,” Lamkin said.

The factory production schedule will be adjusted for the remainder of this year as well as next year.

Piper is the fourth largest employer in Indian River County and the largest private employer of full time employees.

Story and video:   http://www.wptv.com

A mass layoff announced today by Piper Aircraft Inc. of Vero Beach will impact more than 100 workers and possibly as many as 150. The airplane manufacturer is reducing its workforce by at least 15 percent and may cut its staff by as much as 20 percent.

Piper currently employs roughly 750 people, and it sells single- and twin-engine aircraft to both American and international customers. The company's layoff announcement follows two consecutive quarters of declines in the company's revenue, sales, and deliveries.

Simon Caldecott, the company's president and CEO, issued a formal statement, saying, "Piper Aircraft has experienced steady recovery since 2009, however, we are facing challenges and economic instability in several key regions of the world, including Asia, parts of Europe, and Latin America. The team at Piper is committed to the business and as such must make the agonizing decision to adjust accordingly."

In Piper's press release about the layoffs, the company said it was preparing a staff reduction schedule and would inform laidoff employees of their status as soon as possible. The company also indicated that it would be working with the Florida state unemployment office and local job placement organizations to ensure that its displaced workers receive assistance.

Original article can be found here:  http://www.floridatoday.com

2 comments:

  1. Don't bother applying for jobs in the aviation industry, trained people in that industry are being laid off faster than you can spit.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Actually there are a ton of jobs in aviation in the US. There is a huge shortage of A&P mechanics right now- it's almost impossible to find any, even guys straight out of school. That said, Piper probably would be doing better if their customer service wasn't so laughably bad...that, and they have nothing new and exciting to offer.

    ReplyDelete