PARIS–The effort to reduce costs by 20 percent at European-based satellite manufacturer EADS Astrium by2005 also is intended to re-engineer its workforce to improve its processes and efficiencies, according to CEO Antoine Bouvier. The company’s restructuring began in April 2002 when its employment peaked at 8,400 and it is expected to be completed in 2005 when roughly 1,800 positions are likely to be cut.

EADS Astrium will determine its final staffing levels through ongoing consultations with its unions representing both engineering and manufacturing workers. A wholly owned unit of EADS Space, EADS Astrium is integrating functions within a single organization that previously had been conducted in different companies and different sites across several European countries, Bouvier added.

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