Beal streamlines design, construction plans More than half of workforce laid off Stabroek News October 14, 2000 Beal Aerospace has more than halved its workforce amid a streamlining of its design and construction programme and the company says these changes will have no impact at all on its Guyana launch facility plans. A statement yesterday from Public Communications Consultants Limited (PCCL) - the local public relations firm for the Texas, USA-based company - said that Beal expects the new approach in the development of its commercial satellite launch vehicle to significantly lower costs and produce faster results. Beal and the Guyana government signed a deal this year for the setting up of a satellite launch facility in the Waini region of the northwest. The company is engaged in several preliminary activities including seeking clearance from the US government for the transfer of the necessary technology to Guyana. The PCCL statement said that Beal will reshape its launch vehicle development by focusing first on completing its engines and associated tanks before proceeding further. Beal spokesman, David Spoede, Vice President, General Counsel and Government Relations said that "up to now, we have been attempting to develop all components of our new BA-2C launch vehicle simultaneously. We have found that approach to be unproductive, resulting in unnecessary delays and costs". Beal will continue to work on its BA-5500 engine which will generate 5.5 million pounds of thrust. The statement said that the BA-5500 will be the largest fuel engine of its kind ever and "will generate over three times as much thrust as did the famous Saturn V's F-1 engines". The statement said that an unfortunate and unavoidable result of the streamlining has been the reduction of the company's workforce from 150 to 70 employees. "Beal has provided all of its affected employees with generous severance packages and has provided its remaining employees with equally generous compensation guaranty plans". It further quoted Spoede as saying that the Guyana launch facility remains a Beal priority and the scheduling of the project was on target. Follow the goings-on in Guyana in Guyana Today