Employees of the UTC Aerospace Systems interiors production facility in North Little Rock learned from a company memo today that the unit will be closing, with shutdown anticipated by the end of the first quarter of 2016.

The facility, which employs 32 people at a North Little Rock location on Industry Drive, produces cabin electronics, such as entertainment systems, for aircraft. The North Little Rock facility began 29 years ago as Audio International, founded by Rick Marsh and Wayne Richie.
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Employees received this letter from Henry Brooks, president of the Interiors division of UTC:

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In recent months, we have communicated several steps we are taking to align our business portfolio to our long-term strategy. Part of this process includes reviewing the footprint of our operations against the long-term strategic goals we have established for the business. In doing so, we made the difficult decision to close the North Little Rock, Arkansas facility. We will begin the closure this month and expect all activity to be completed by the end of Q1 of 2016.

The North Little Rock site has produced and delivered more than 1.2 million units and has provided our customers with solid quality and operational performance for 29 years. The performance of the business can be attributed to the dedication and hard work of the site’s employees. Closure of the North Little Rock site will impact 32 employees. I’d like to personally extend my sincerest appreciation to these employees for their many contributions over the past 29 years. Their service has supported placement of our equipment on nearly 2,000 aircraft. To support our employees’ transition to new employment, UTC Aerospace Systems will provide outplacement services to each and every affected employee.

Although today’s announcement is tough, the Interiors organization will continue to review the business’ needs and make decisions that align with our vision and mission, and drive improvement and growth to ensure Interiors remains competitive and responsive to our customers’ needs.

Henry

UTC lists 20 Interiors facilities on its website, but they produce different components. I sought further comment from the company, but got a restatement of what employees had been told. There was no information on where this work will be shifted or why the North Little Rock facility was chosen.

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