Global aerospace and defense systems supplier, Goodrich Corporation, expects to add between 125-150 new jobs at its facility in Monroe (NC), near Charlotte, in late 2004. Employees will be needed to staff a customer services facility slated to move into a vacant building owned by Goodrich in Monroe, North Carolina, close to the company's headquarters. The company is moving equipment and capabilities from an Englewood (NJ) facility and a site in Aurora (OH) to the 60,000 square foot building in Monroe.

We got a call from Gail Warner at Goodrich HQ, concerning how many people were moving, or how many jobs were being eliminated in New Jersey and Ohio, as a result of this consolidation. She told ANN, "We announced the cuts in Ohio last January: it's 370 positions, which will be eliminated by April of 2004." She noted, "A handful of relocation offers were made there; I don't know how many are moving." As for New Jersey, "Those cuts were announced," she said, in the late Summer. They involved "163 people. Again, a handful of those slots will open at the new facility."

According to Bill Walthall, President Customer Services for Goodrich, "This is excellent news for Monroe. We're looking forward to being part of the community and to creating a world-class aerospace customer services operation. The move of the work to this facility will better position us for growth and allow us to further enhance our competitiveness in the global aerospace industry."

"I am pleased that Goodrich has chosen to expand its operations in North Carolina," said Governor Mike Easley. "We are bringing needed jobs to an area hard hit by manufacturing layoffs, proving our ability to compete in the global marketplace. The investments we are making in education and infrastructure are paying off."

The new work will be in the areas of remanufacturing, testing, inspection -- it's a reman facility, and it will take care of a lot of assemblies, which repair has, until now, been located in many separate facilities.

It's nice to hear of a greater demand for labor somewhere.

According to Speaker of the House of North Carolina, Jim Black, "At a time when we are losing manufacturing jobs at an alarming rate, it is refreshing to hear good news about Goodrich Corporation expanding jobs in North Carolina. This is a sure sign of our invigorating economy, and these excellent jobs are a result of our economic development incentives paying dividends."

The Monroe facility will serve as a major repair and remanufacturing site for various Goodrich aerospace systems. The site will also be a major stocking point for critical spare parts inventories as well as a program management center for various service programs for our commercial and military aerospace customers.

Final details are contingent upon the approval of local incentives from Monroe and Union County.

FMI: www.goodrich.com