Boeing Slows 787 Output and Focuses on Delivery Resumption

摘要

Boeing's inability to satisfy FAA concerns over the methods it wants to use to clear 787s for delivery, combined with discovery of an additional quality issue it must add to its post-production inspection list, has prompted the company to shift workers from its Charleston, South Carolina, final assembly line to targeted inspection and rework efforts. The change will last "a few weeks," Boeing says of the move, announced July 13. The changes mean 787 production rates will drop to below five per month for an unspecified period, "and will gradually return to that rate," the company adds. The airframer says it is using the reallocated resources to help quantify and address potential issues with the 100 undelivered 787s in its inventory. Boeing has been working to identify and correct production issues on new 787s since last year, setting up dedicated teams in Charleston and Everett, Washington, last fall and pausing deliveries for five months.