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According to a report, the aircraft manufacturer made the decision between its Dreamliner plants. Consequently, production of the 787 at Everett is nearing completion.
The riots started in April. At the time, insiders and experts said in media reports that Boeing’s 787 production in Everett could be in jeopardy if the aircraft maker were to rebuild significantly fewer Dreamliners. In late July, the manufacturer announced that it would reduce the production rate to six Boeing 787s per month in 2021.
Boeing had previously cut the rate for next year from 14 to 12, then to 10. But due to the Corona crisis, that was still too much. Boeing boss David Calhoun stated that Dreamliner production needed to be made more efficient and that it would be examined whether “consolidation of production in one place” was possible.
Decision apparently made against Everett
Final assembly of the Dreamliner takes place at two plants: Everett in Washington state and North Charleston in South Carolina, nearly 3,900 kilometers apart in a straight line. As the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday (September 30), according to experts, Boeing has now decided to build the Dreamliner in North Charleston alone and shut down production in Everett.
The newspaper did not know any details about the schedule and how many employees will be affected. A company spokesman declined to comment on the newspaper. However, one of the informants said that the US aircraft manufacturer could announce the decision later this week.
Tradition in Everett, Kritik in North Charleston
A decision in favor of North Charleston has great potential for conflict with Boeing employees and unions. Because the withdrawal of Dreamliner production threatens many jobs. Especially in the traditional area around Seattle, where founder William Edward Boeing began work on his first plane in 1915. The company’s headquarters was also located here until it moved to Chicago in 2001.
Furthermore, the Dreamliner production in North Charleston was criticized from the start. Even before the plant opened in 2011, Boeing was accused of choosing the location because of tax rebates and because South Carolina unions are in a difficult position compared to Washington.
Airlines complained of production defects
Above all, there were always criticisms of the production itself. In 2014, workers at the North Charleston plant said in an investigative report on Al Jazeera television station that they would not board the planes because safety regulations were not being observed during production. would do. Boeing denied all the allegations.
In 2019, employees again criticized the local safety culture and comments from airlines to Boeing, some of which contained massive allegations, were also made public. However, the Dreamliner defects that became known in early September 2020 are not explicitly related to production in North Charleston.
The South Carolina plant relies on the 787
The plant in South Carolina is already the only location where Boeing produces the 787-10. The 787-8 and 787-9 are also built there. There is also work being done on the engine nacelles of the 737 Max and 777X models. A decision in favor of Dreamliner production at Everett would have spelled the end of the North Charleston plant.
A decision against Everett, however, does not jeopardize all the work there, which is much greater. The Boeing 777, the cargo and military variant of the 767 and currently the cargo version of the 747-8, is also built there. However, production of the last jumbo jets will also expire in 2022.
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