Aerospace company Heroux-Devtek to lay off employees at plant near Montreal

Heroux-Devtek Inc. will lay off about 55 employees at one of its Montreal-area plants due to lower demand from the U.S. military market.

The layoffs are expected to start in April and take place over 12 months, leaving 15 workers at the plant in nearby Longueuil, Heroux-Devtek said.

The landing gear manufacturer said its operations in Longueuil will be centred at its upgraded, main plant where 360 employees will focus on repair, overhaul and assembly of landing gear systems.

“We regret the impact for the affected employees and their families, but the steep decline in U.S.-based customer demand for military aftermarket products called for adjustments in our manufacturing base,” president and chief executive Gilles Labbe said in a news release.

The company said the layoffs will result in a charge of about $5 million before income taxes to be spread over the fourth quarter of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014 and the first half of the 2015 fiscal year.

Heroux-Devtek is the third largest landing gear company globally, and supplies both commercial and military sectors of the aerospace industry with landing gear systems and components, as well as other aerospace products and services.