Production to Be Ended at Rockwell Site : 6 Buildings at El Segundo Complex to Be Sold
Rockwell International’s North American Aircraft unit will close down its El Segundo manufacturing complex and put up for sale six major buildings on 50 acres of land adjacent to Los Angeles International Airport, company officials said Friday.
Rockwell would retain its engineering and aeronautics test facilities at the site, including a large-scale wind tunnel, officials said.
The sale effectively eliminates all of Rockwell’s manufacturing at the historic El Segundo site, which was used heavily in the production of the B-1 bomber. The last bomber was delivered to the Air Force earlier this year.
A commercial real estate agent who specializes in industrial property in the South Bay area, estimated that the site is worth about $70 million, not including the buildings.
Shifting to Palmdale
Rockwell sold a major portion of the El Segundo complex to Northrop in 1978, which uses the site to produce rear fuselage sections for the F-18 fighter jet. That complex includes 1.9 million square feet on 75 acres.
Rockwell said it would transfer machines and equipment in its facilities to its Palmdale plant, where the B-1 bomber was produced.
Rockwell’s North American Aircraft unit employs about 4,000 workers in El Segundo. The move is not expected to reduce that work force. In addition, the unit employs about 1,000 in Lakewood, 1,000 in Palmdale and 2,000 in Tulsa.
Since the end of the B-1 program, North American has drastically reduced its facilities and work force. The company abandoned a 420-acre complex in Columbus, Ohio, which McDonnell Douglas has agreed to lease.
Rockwell’s current programs include updating the OV-10 Marine aircraft, a project worth $120 million; converting 12 C-130s aircraft into gunships, worth $450 million; building the X-31 experimental jet, worth $80 million; developing the National Aerospace Plane, which is initially worth $70 million, but could grow into a multibillion program; and continuing to do modifications and improvements to the B-1 bomber, worth an estimated $500 million annually.
