Bell moves assembly of new Jet Ranger X from Louisiana to Canada
Bell Helicopter is shifting production among its U.S. and Canadian plants as it continues to maneuver through a rough market for commercial helicopter sales.
On Thursday, the Fort Worth-based manufacturer announced it will move final assembly of its new Bell 505 Jet Ranger X copter from a new plant in Lafayette, La., to its commercial helicopter assembly and delivery center in Mirabel, Canada.
Lafayette will receive cabin subassembly work on Bell’s other new product, the big 525 Relentless, which will shift from Amarillo, as well as modification work on the Northrop Grumman Fire Scout unmanned vehicle, which is moving from Ozark, Ark.
Bell’s new CEO Mitch Snyder, who took over the top job last fall when former CEO John Garrison took a top job with Terex Corp., said the shifts will maximize the capabilities of each facility. According to the The Advocate in Lafayette, Snyder said on a conference call that the changes were driven by a severe downturn worldwide in the demand for commercial aircraft.
According to press reports in Canada, the move will add 100 jobs and secure 900 existing jobs at Mirabel, where Bell has operated since 1983. There will be no effect on Bell’s employment in Fort Worth or Amarillo from the moves, said Bell spokesman Lindsey Viotto.
In Lafayette, the state of Louisiana spent $26 million to build the 82,300-square-foot plant specifically to manufacture the Jet Ranger X, a five-seat, single-engine turbine that’s a contemporary version of the Jet Ranger built by Bell more than 50 years ago.
Viotto said Bell has 27 workers in Lafayette and plans to hire more as the new works is moved to the plant.
This article includes material from The Associated Press.
This story was originally published May 20, 2016 at 2:54 PM with the headline "Bell moves assembly of new Jet Ranger X from Louisiana to Canada."