Alliant Techsystems Inc. will combine its Aerospace Propulsion business in Magna with newly acquired Thiokol Propulsion near Promontory, leading to the layoff of about 50 workers.
The combined propulsion company, to be called ATK Thiokol Propulsion, will be under ATK's Aerospace Propulsion Group. The move is effective Sept. 1.
Ten people at ATK in Magna and about 40 at Thiokol's Promontory operations will be laid off. They are primarily people in support and services jobs, such as computer operations, finance and human resources. The move will not affect manufacturing.
With the layoffs, Thiokol will be left with about 3,200 employees in Utah. The Aerospace Propulsion Group will have about 1,200 in Magna.
Another round of layoffs may come as early as October and affect 50 more Thiokol workers.
Minnesota-based Alliant acquired Thiokol this year from Alcoa in a $685 million cash deal. Alcoa had obtained Thiokol when it acquired Salt Lake-based Cordant Technologies in May 2000.
Thiokol makes solid-fuel rocket propulsion systems for space-launch vehicles, including boosters for the space shuttle. Alliant supplies aerospace and defense products, including conventional munitions and propulsion rocket motors.