Tyco merges offices in S.C.

BOCA RATON, Fla.- Tyco International has merged two SimplexGrinnell offices in South Carolina into one in a cost saving measure, but no employees in either location lost their jobs as a result of the decision. Employees from the Greenville office will now work out of its Spartanburg location, which is about 30 miles away. Spartanburg now has 34 employees, of which 10 were previously located in Greenville. Barry Wells, district general manager, heads the office. “This was just a real estate consolidation,” according to Elizabeth Shine, manager of corporate communications for the fire and security division at Tyco. SimplexGrinnell, which is a unit of Tyco Fire & Security, provides a number of fire related products and services that include fire alarms, sprinklers as well as integrated security systems. Last November, Tyco announced a company-wide initiative to reduce costs by focusing on core businesses. This recent move helps “improve operational efficiencies,” said Shine, adding, “it makes better sense for customer service” to have all the employees under one roof. Tyco has made good on its promise to reduce non-core business this year. Last month, it announced a deal to sell its National Alarm Computer Center contract monitoring station to Integrated Alarm Services Group for $50 million (See related story on page 1). And earlier this year, Tyco reduced its headcount at its Massachusetts manufacturing facility where fire-related products were produced. The SimplexGrinnell division, which has offices there as well, was not affected by the company’s decision.