Gates Learjet put its consolidation move on hold.

Company officials said that they have postponed their planned consolidation of manufacturing operations and have appointed a former Learjet president to re-evaluate it. The company announced a month ago that it would consolidate its manufacturing in Wichita, Kan., during its regular Christmas holiday shutdown. But last week, Learjet got into a conflict with the machinists union in Wichita because the company reportedly wanted to keep its plane-finishing operation and its 45 jobs in Tucson. Harry B. Coombs, former Learjet president and a current member of the company’s board of directors, was placed in charge of the re-evaluation.