Burnham to Head Allied-Signal Aerospace

Allied-Signal has named Daniel P. Burnham to succeed Roy H. Ekrom as president of its Torrance-based Allied-Signal Aerospace unit, effective Jan. 1, when Ekrom, 62, retires.

Burnham, 44, has been president of the firm’s AiResearch Group in Torrance since 1990 and previously was president of its fibers division and the plastics and performance material division.

The Allied-Signal Aerospace group, among the world’s largest producers of major systems for aircraft, earned $235 million on sales of $5.4 billion in 1990. The unit has experienced significant growth in its commercial aircraft programs but a decline in military programs.

“We are bullish on the long-term growth of the commercial side,” Burnham said. “The fundamentals of growth are there.”

He said that the aerospace unit derives 60% of its business from commercial work and that as defense budgets shrink, the commercial portion may grow. But, he added, “we don’t have a need for a radical change.”

Burnham cited the need to contain costs but declined to say how that might affect employment. The operation has had only a modest decline in Southern California employment in the past year.

As for the firm’s commitment to Los Angeles, Burnham said, “We have a fine business here in Los Angeles. There has been enough bashing of L.A. We have been here since 1937 and we are going to stay here.”