Aerospace supplier Triumph cutting 99 jobs in Everett

Boeing supplier Triumph Group, which has a plant in Spokane as well as other locations in Washington, will lay off 99 employees at its Structures-Everett facility effective Sept. 30, according to information filed with the state Employment Security Department.

Triumph, based in Berwyn, Penn., has been a major supplier of fuselage panels for Boeing 747s and announced last week plans to close its Everett facility around March 31.

Workers at the Spokane plant returned to work at the end of June after a six-week strike.

In September, Boeing announced it would take over the work of building 747-8 fuselage panels from Triumph starting in 2018. At the time Triumph also said it would be offloading its other 747 structures work, including the tail, floor beams and flight surfaces.

Although Boeing just announced a deal with Volga-Dnieper for several 747s, production of the slow-selling airplane is slated to shrink again in September to one jet every two months.

Triumph spokeswoman Michele Long said the closure of the Triumph Structures-Everett facility is unrelated to Boeing’s insourcing of the fuselage panel work.

“The closure of Triumph Structures-Everett is part of the company’s ongoing transformation,” wrote Long in an email, adding that it would “allow us to improve our operating efficiencies, enhance supply chain economies, and improve quality and on-time delivery.”

Triumph has operated in Everett since the 1970s, with large-part machining capabilities primarily focused on the production of stringers, wing structures and the machining of aluminum.

The company also has facilities in Seattle, Yakima.