CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Goodrich Corp., which has a branch on Panton Road in Vergennes that is the city’s largest employer, in late April announced solid first-quarter results and a generally — if still cautiously — optimistic forecast for the balance of 2010.
The local plant, according to a corporate spokesman last month, is seeing an up-tick in business, and was seeking to fill 30 jobs, which he described as for “technicians and professional positions.”
If those jobs are all filled, the Vergennes Goodrich plant’s work force would return to its 2008 level of roughly 810 after experiencing layoffs in 2009.
Similarly, the April 22 press release from Goodrich’s North Carolina headquarters saw overall progress in the multi-billion dollar international corporation, which has multiple divisions.
“The company’s full-year 2010 sales expectation of approximately $7.1 billion is unchanged from its prior outlook, and represents growth of about 6 percent compared to 2009,” it stated.
That $7.1 billion figure equals the company’s 2008 sales, according to earlier Goodrich press releases.
The press release quotes company chairman, president and CEO Marshall Larsen as seeing progress in several, but not all, sectors of Goodrich’s business.
“Our first quarter 2010 results were consistent with our expectations. … Our large commercial airplane original equipment and our defense and space market channels both experienced significant growth,” Larsen said, adding, “Our defense and space sales exhibited strong growth in the first quarter of 2010, increasing by 13 percent, compared to the first quarter 2009.”
Much of that growth came from the December acquisition of another firm, he said, but the company experienced “organic sales growth of about 5 percent (that) was driven primarily by strong sales in our sensors and integrated systems and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance businesses.”
The Vergennes plant is heavily involved in the sensors and integrated systems, notably the Health and Usage Monitoring Systems (HUMS) used in military and commercial helicopters. HUMS systems track wear and tear on critical engine and rotor parts.
Other growth for Goodrich, the press release said, is coming from increased production by and demand for commercial aftermarket sales from airplane manufacturers Boeing and Airbus.
Goodrich reported that “regional, business and general aviation airplane original equipment sales” were still lagging, however.
Reporter Andy Kirkaldy is at [email protected].