Less than a year after opening its 82,300-square-foot manufacturing facility in Lafayette, Bell Helicopter is shifting gears and changing the products it makes in the city. The Advertiser reports it’s unclear how the change will impact employment at the Lafayette facility—or the company’s financial pledge to Louisiana.
Company president and CEO Mitch Snyder said in a conference call Thursday afternoon that Bell is relocating several programs across the United States as it deals with a downturn in the commercial market.
“The 505 Jet Ranger X manufacturing facility in Lafayette … will relocate to our Maribel manufacturing and distribution facility in Canada,” Snyder said. “We remain committed to our Lafayette employees in the state of Louisiana. Therefore the Lafayette facility will receive the Bell 525 Relentless cabin sub-assembly, relocating from Amarillo.”
The state funded the $26.3 million construction of assembly center, which opened in August last year. The building is owned by the Lafayette Regional Airport. Bell has been leasing the facility and has committed to making an additional $11.5 million capital investment in equipment and tooling.
On Thursday, Snyder said the company is negotiating with officials to ensure the company is keeping its end of the bargain with state and local governments. “We are sitting down with the economic group right now and going through that,” he said.
Bell will also relocate its Grumman MQ-8C aerial vehicle-manufacturing facility from Ozark, Alabama, to Lafayette, he said. Snyder said there are 27 employees at the facility who now will be part of the transition process to move the 505 Jet Ranger X assembly to Canada and move the Texas and Alabama operations to Lafayette.
After the transition, the company will assess its staffing in Lafayette, Snyder said.
“We don’t know yet at this point. We are still looking at the numbers,” he said.
Snyder said the 505 Jet Ranger X manufacturing operation will not be returning to Lafayette.
