Cessna to Close Plants, Lay Off Workers

Cessna will close three subassembly plants in Columbus, Georgia, including its McCauley Propeller factory and a new 100,000-square-foot facility opened in August 2008 at a cost of about $25 million. The closings will take place within six months to two years and will claim the jobs of some 315 workers in Georgia, whose numbers had already been almost halved by previous layoffs. The work performed in Georgia is slated to move to Wichita and Mexico. At Cessna headquarters in Wichita, the company intends to move some of its subassembly work, which could affect employment for 175 workers there. Cessna didn't say where the work would be moved to.