BAE Systems officials today advised members of Platform Solutions' Los Angeles-based workforce that it will close that facility by mid-2007.

While about 50 employees at the product design and development facility will be offered the opportunity to relocate, most of the 260 positions will be eliminated as work is relocated to Ontario, Calif., and Johnson City, N.Y. Laid-off employees will be eligible for severance benefits and outplacement assistance.

The decision was in response to the company's inability to penetrate key targeted markets - marked by reprogramming of customer funding and program delays, and competitive losses - sufficient to sustain the 150,000-square-foot site near Los Angeles International Airport.
"While decisions of this type are always difficult, this move will allow us to be more efficient and responsive to our customers' needs and are necessary to remain competitive in a dynamic marketplace," said Mike Heffron, Platform Solutions president. He added that the move takes advantage of the available infrastructure and no new positions will be created.