Cirrus Design Corp. laid off 105 people today -- 75 at its Duluth plant and 30 at its Grand Forks plant -- a cut of about 9 percent of its workforce.
Following an earlier round of cuts in September, today's layoffs bring the Duluth-based airplane manufacturer's workforce to "just above 1,100," said president and chief operating officer Brent Wouter.
It's part of a long-term effort to increase efficiencies at the two plants in the face of lowering demand worldwide for its aircraft.
In early September, Cirrus laid off about 7 percent of its workforce, 71 employees in Duluth and 29 in Grand Forks.
That would leave the company with about 905 in Duluth and 220 workers in Grand Forks, based on previous published reports. It would make its layoff total about 18.5 percent since the first week in September.
ADVERTISEMENT
Cirrus continues, however, its production schedule of about 12 aircraft a week, Wouter said.
He said the employees laid off today received the same severance package as those in the previous round of lay-offs: one week of pay per year of employment.
"We're driving across the board for better cash flow, better efficiencies in many areas of operation," Wouters said, reached this evening at his home.
He hopes the efficiencies will have the company poised to take advantage of increasing demand once the economy improves, he said.
While credit markets are tight,
