Decision To Be Made In About 30 Days, Buyers Stand At The Ready

Officials of two EADS unit Airbus labor unions said the company has delayed, for a month, its selection of buyers for factories it has up for sale.

The statements confirm an unconfirmed story reported in the daily Les Echos although EADS has declined comment, according to AFX News Limited. As ANN reported, EADS is selling factories as part of its major restructuring.

The sale has been delayed because the company wants to study adding the Augsburg, Germany, plant to the chopping block list. There is already a potential buyer for the plant, German company Voith which also wants to buy two other plants in Germany, in Varel and Nordenham, Airbus already had up for sale.

A final decision is dependent upon the result of the study, and in case of a go-ahead decision, consultations with the European Works Councils at EADS and Airbus as well as with all further relevant statutory bodies would then take place.

The Augsburg site is part of the EADS Defense & Security Division, but roughly 70 percent of its revenues are attributed to Airbus. In fact, Augsburg is the single largest aero structures supplier to Airbus.

The combination of the site in Augsburg with the Airbus sites at Nordenham and Varel under a new ownership structure could form a major risk-sharing partner for Airbus, according to the company.

Augsburg would contribute critical design, manufacturing and technological experience to such new venture. Against the backdrop of Airbus' new "make-or-buy" policy, which entails significant outsourcing of aero structures, and with new owners, these plants could gain access to important work on the new A350XWB as well as future Airbus programs.

FMI: www.airbus.com, www.eads.com