Microdyne plans to hire 200 workers Orono call center experiencing increased demand for services

ORONO – Microdyne Outsourcing Inc. is adding at least 200 new positions in the next couple of months to its operations here and in Augusta.

A “now hiring” banner is attached to the building in Orono that on the inside was once filled with workers uncertain about their employment future. Since May, more than a thousand employees either left or were laid off from EnvisioNet Computer Services Inc., the bankrupt company that until two months ago operated from the almost-new light-gray structure.

In its prime last spring, EnvisioNet employed nearly 2,200 people. It now is estimated that 400 people are employed just in Orono. New owner Microdyne had eliminated at least 40 middle-manager positions about a week after it purchased EnvisioNet for $10.7 million in early September.

“I think that EnvisioNet focused its layoffs on hourly employees who are on the telephones and not the middle managers,” said John Oakes, president of Microdyne, in a telephone interview from the company’s headquarters in Torrance, Calif. The company also has call centers in Indiana.

Oakes said an increase in call volume from existing clients, Microsoft and Dell Computers, is the reason for the new hires. Microsoft and Dell direct customer questions to Microdyne and other call centers instead of having their own employees to handle the calls.

The new positions will pay between $7.50 and $12 an hour.

It was a strained relationship between EnvisioNet and Microsoft that led to the Maine company filing for bankruptcy protection in June and seeking a new owner.

In May, Microsoft told EnvisioNet it expected a significant decrease in call volume during the summer. Because of that, EnvisioNet had to lay off 600 workers in May, and had to continue employee cuts up until the sale to Microdyne. Microsoft, however, was upset that it became public that it was going to experience a reduction in customer-support business and reportedly threatened to cancel its contract with EnvisioNet.

The relationship between Microsoft and the new owners appears to be amicable.

Oakes said he “makes it a practice not to talk about our relationships with any of our clients” because of confidentiality clauses in contracts Microdyne signs with them.

Oakes said, however, he has met with Microsoft officials at their corporate offices in Redmond, Wash., at least four times in the last couple of months and the discussions have been productive.

“I think at this point we’re meeting their needs,” Oakes said. “I think the chances of us working with them this time next year would be good.”

With the high-technology sector in a downturn, Microdyne officials are having a hard time securing new business. But they remain optimistic, Oakes said, even though he is pessimistic about the national economy turning around next year.

Microdyne is changing its operational focus in Maine by telling clients it wants to handle technical support calls – where in-depth product expertise is essential – instead of customer support calls, where broad, general questions are answered.

“The growth spot for Microdyne has always been technical support,” Oakes said. “We’re going to try to be far more focused at what we do best. Microdyne will be profitable in 2001 and in 2002. We have some way to go to make the Maine operations profitable. That will be our number one target. I would say we are on plan.”

Oakes said that call centers usually beef up their staffs this time of year to handle an increased volume of customer calls that come around the holiday season. Then, around February and March, many call centers begin laying off workers.

Microdyne does not expect to do that, he said, based on “the way things are shaping up” for strong call volume to continue beyond March.

“This is an opportunity to hook on with a good company,” he said.