At a meeting between Leonardo and the union at Unidustria’s headquarters in Rome, it was announced that the assembly line for the AV609 aircraft will be established at the Grottaglie plant in Taranto. However, due to reduced demand for Boeing 787 fuselages, especially center sections manufactured from composites at Grottaglie, negotiations are ongoing to address economic implications of changes in production.
Representatives of the Fim, Fiom and Uilm unions were present at the meeting, along with Leonardo’s human resources director Antonio Liotti. The company has expressed its commitment to revitalizing the Grottaglie hub by diversifying its production beyond Boeing 787 fuselages. A key part of this plan is bringing a second AV609 convertible assembly line to Grottaglie, in addition to the existing line in Philadelphia, USA.
While negotiations continue over economic implications, unions have pointed out that changes in production may require a re-evaluation of the site’s processes due to potential delays or reductions in planned troop withdrawals. Leonardo is considering using regular redundancy funds to manage lower demand associated with the Boeing program and exploring options such as temporarily closing or slowing down production lines to adapt to new circumstances.
The company aims to reach a comprehensive agreement with unions on July 15th at an upcoming meeting to address challenges and opportunities presented by changes in production at the Grottaglie plant.