Cirrus Design makes another round of job cuts

Duluth aircraft manufacturer Cirrus Design has trimmed another 50 jobs, in addition to some 200 cut last year.

Vice President of Business Administration Bill King says the company is trying to be more effective and streamlined.

Cirrus had placed 500 workers on a temporary layoff for the month of December. King says 100 of them will remain on extended furlough into 2009.

"Many of those people will opt to begin to look for employment elsewhere, and frankly, probably should," said King. "Unless the economic conditions improve, we won't necessarily need all or even a substantial number of those positions back.

Cirrus Design delivered about 23 percent fewer airplanes in 2008 than the year before. The company employs less than 1,000 people now between manufacturing plants in Duluth and Fargo, North Dakota.

Despite the downturn, King says he's cautiously optimistic for a successful and profitable 2009.

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