Lockheed Martin says it will cut 4,000 jobs while closing and consolidating several of its U.S. operations to cut costs.
The announcement Thursday, however, did not mention any operational changes or cutbacks at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. and its plant in Cobb County.
By mid-2015, Lockheed Martin plans to close operations in Newtown, Pa.; Akron, Ohio; Goodyear, Ariz.; and Horizon City, Texas; and four buildings on its Sunnyvale, Calif., campus. The facility closures will result in the elimination of 2,000 positions, the company said.
Current cost-cutting measures should eliminate an additional 2,000 positions in the company’s Information Systems & Global Solutions, Mission System and Training and Space Systems divisions by the end of 2014, the company said.
“At this time there are no plans to close facilities or eliminate positions at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co.,” spokesman Jeff Rhodes told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday.
Chief Executive Officer Marillyn Hewson said the job cuts announced Thursday were in response to government budget cuts that will have an effect on defense contracts. Since 2008, Lockheed Martin has reduced its workforce from 146,000 employees to 116,000.
The company said all of the program work and some employees affected by the latest restructuring will be sent to other company facilities, although the company’s Marietta operation was not mentioned.
Lockheed Martin's Marietta plant expects to benefit from plans by the Defense Department to purchase more F-35 fighter jets.
The Pentagon plans to buy 71 more of the radar-evading jets, parts of which are built at the Marietta plant. The plant produces the center wing assembly - a major part of the fuselage - doors and panels, and specially coated horizontal and vertical tails. The parts are shipped to Fort Worth, Texas, where the F-35’s assembly is completed.
Rhodes said the new agreement means work continues uninterrupted in Marietta, and he said he didn’t expect any changes in staffing.
The program employs about 330 workers in Marietta, including 230 mechanics who work directly on the F-35.
