Saab to cut in the Nordic

Saab has today been forced to give notice to the County Employment Boards in Jönköping and Gothenburg of personnel reductions in the Saab Avitronics business unit. In Jönköping 45 co-workers will be affected in production and production support, and in Gothenburg 14 co-workers, the majority in product development and a few in production. “It is of course very regrettable to have to reduce the workforce in Jönköping and Gothenburg. The primary reasons are fewer orders from the Swedish Armed Forces, as well as technology shifts and streamlining in production,” says Ronny Nyqvist, head of Utility and Mission Systems at Saab Avitronics. “At the same time, it is very pleasing to note that in the past year we have made inroads with new products for two of the world's biggest aircraft producers, Airbus and Boeing.” Product development in Jönköping means that older technology is being phased out and replaced with modern, modular electronic systems with a higher software content, which require less manual input in production. Jönköping is also ceasing production of mechanical gyros in favor of fiber optic gyros that are less labor-demanding. In Gothenburg the cutbacks are being made in Saab's laser operations in the Gamlestaden district of the city. The union organizations have been informed of the situation, and negotiations will begin in the near future.