More than 9,000 Rockwell Collins employees in Iowa now work for a new company.
“I’m really pleased to announce we’ve completed the acquisition of Rockwell Collins and we have officially formed the Collins Aerospace Systems business, a company that is now the preeminent systems supplier to the aerospace industry,” Greg Hayes, CEO of Connecticut-based United Technologies Corporation, said this morning during a conference call with investors.
UTC finished its acquisition of Rockwell Collins Monday.
“So let’s think about Collins,” Hayes said on the conference call. “It’s really about creating an unmatched portfolio of products and services for the aerospace industry, both commercial and defense, and it’s about shaping the future of aerospace by bringing together the industry’s best talent and giving them the resources to solve our customers’ biggest challenges.”
Rockwell Collins is the largest employer in Cedar Rapids.
“I’d like to welcome this morning the Rockwell Collins employees to United Technologies,” Hayes said. “…This creates an unprecedented scale for our aerospace portfolio and really allows us to think differently about the future of United Technologies.”
A spokeswoman for Collins Aerospace told The Cedar Rapids Gazette there are no immediate plans to change staffing in Iowa. Hayes and other executives have been working on the acquisition for 18 months.
“With the formation of Collins Aerospace, we will be better positioned to meet evolving customer requirements for aerospace systems that are more electric, more innovative and more connected,” Hayes said.
Collins Radio was founded in Cedar Rapids in 1933. Rockwell bought the company in 1973. A Collins Aerospace website is now live.
(Photo courtesy of KCRG TV9)
