Textron Aviation announced in a recent emailed press release the details of a restated Workforce Services Training Agreement with the the Kansas Department of Commerce. The agreement will support hundreds of dollars of investment in new product development and production in Wichita and support Textron Aviation’s future product development of turboprop aircraft (including King Air) and the new interior manufacturing facility in Wichita. A new Citation Longitude business jet will also be built at its manufacturing facility in Witchita.
“Textron Aviation is a great, home grown success story, and this agreement demonstrates its long-term commitment to Kansas,” said Interim Commerce Secretary Michael Copeland. “We remain a full partner with Textron. This commitment by the company highlights our highly skilled workforce and competitive business climate, as well as demonstrates why Kansas is the best location in the world to develop and produce general aviation aircraft.”
Additionally the State of Kansas is modifying the $45 million incentive package agreement it reached in December 2010 with Hawker Beechcraft to reflect Textron’s acquisition of the company and formation of Textron Aviation. The modification acknowledges Textron Inc.’s massive investment ($2 billion in Textron Aviation) in its operations and positions the company for future growth through new and enhanced products.
Some of the details of the agreement:
- Under the revised agreement the previous incentives roll over to Textron Aviation as a whole, with the employment threshold of 4,300 annual.
- For the years that they company retains its current employee number (over 9,000 in Kansas) it will be forgiven any year under the previous agreement that Beechcraft dropped below the employment threshold of 3,600.
- Textron Aviation agrees to keeps it headquarters through 2020 (the end of the 10-year agreement made with the state in 2010) as well as specific product lines. (including the coming Cessna Citation Longitude business jet).
- Textron will use the agreement to help support the development of other new products, including turboprop aircraft.
- The city of Wichita and Sedgwick County will soon decide on similarly revised agreements they made to Hawker Beechcraft.
“I am pleased that Textron Aviation and the State of Kansas have come to this agreement, and I look forward to working with the company to develop a similar agreement with the City of Wichita,” said Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell. “Textron Aviation’s investment in Wichita will be a key driver in a strong and diverse Wichita economy.”