The Enquirer
Defense contractor BAE Systems is ending military production at its West Chester plant and will transfer the work to Sealy, Texas, by April. About 160 employees will lose their jobs as a result, beginning in November, the company said this morning.
All commercial armored vehicle, transparent armor and JLTV engineering work will continue in West Chester, BAE said.
“The decision to transition the military production work from our West Chester site to Sealy streamlines our organization, reduces cost and improves our competitive position,” Frank Pope, president of BAE Systems Inc.’s Land & Armaments Sector, said in a statement.
The company, which once employed 1,800, has been cutting positions over the past two years as it experienced a marked decrease in production volumes. Factors include the winding down of some long-standing programs, leaner defense budgets, and the recession.
BAE Systems acquired the military production business through its purchase of Armor Holdings Inc. in 2007.
The military production business produces armored cabs, turrets and armor parts supporting various armored military ground vehicles and construction equipment for the U.S. Armed Forces and original equipment manufacturers of military vehicles.
