IFR to Consolidate Optics Manufacturing in US

To reduce operating costs, IFR Systems Inc. (Beaverton, OR) is consolidating the manufacturing operations of its Optical Test & Measurement (OTM) Division into its facility in Beaverton, OR. The division currently has manufacturing facilities both in Beaverton and Chandlers Ford, England.

"We expect the consolidation of our OTM Division's manufacturing operations to reduce costs by approximately $2.0 million annually once the project is completed later this year," said president and CEO Alfred Hunt. Personnel reductions and other steps related to the consolidation will result in a charge of approximately $1.0 million in the quarter ended March 31, 1999, and additional charges totaling approximately $500,000 during the next 12 months. "We continue to expect IFR to be profitable before this charge in the March quarter,'' Hunt said.

IFR Systems specializes in electronic test instruments for wireless and fiber optic communications, optical fibers, avionics, and general test and measurement applications.