Minn.-based ATK announces dozens of layoffs

Minnesota-based aerospace and weapons company ATK this week announced several dozen layoffs.

The company has laid off about 45 people from its Eden Prairie and Plymouth facilities. The layoffs were part of a restructuring announced in March.

The layoffs came from the corporate office and from the company's advanced weapons engineering group, which makes precision guided weapons.

ATK spokesman Bryce Hallowell said most of the affected workers have already been notified and have left the company.

"We announced the restructuring of the company and with the restructuring come the necessity to eliminate some positions to strengthen our go forward strategy so we are going to be ready for growth in the future," Hallowell said. "We just want to align our workforce with the needs of the business at this point."

He said severance packages and job assistance were offered to the workers. The company has about 18,000 employees globally with anticipated annual revenue of approximately $4.8 billion.