SEATTLE, Oct. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) today announced that it has chosen its North Charleston, S.C., facility as the location for a second final assembly site for the 787 Dreamliner program. Boeing evaluated criteria that were designed to find the final assembly location within the company that would best support the 787 business plan as the program increases production rates. In addition to serving as a location for final assembly of 787 Dreamliners, the facility also will have the capability to support the testing and delivery of the airplanes. .
"Establishing a second 787 assembly line in Charleston will expand our production capability to meet the market demand for the airplane," said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "This decision allows us to continue building on the synergies we have established in South Carolina with Boeing Charleston and Global Aeronautica," he said, adding that this move will strengthen the company's competitiveness and sustainability and help it grow for the long term.
Boeing Charleston performs fabrication, assembly and systems installation for the 787 aft fuselage sections. Across the street, Global Aeronautica, which is 50 percent owned by Boeing, is responsible for joining and integrating 787 fuselage sections from other structural partners.
Until the second 787 assembly line is brought on line in North Charleston, Boeing will establish transitional surge capability at its Everett, Wash., location to ensure the successful introduction of the 787-9, the first derivative model of the 787. When the second line in Charleston is up and operating, the surge capability in Everett will be phased out.
"We're taking prudent steps to protect the interests of our customers as we introduce the 787-9 and ramp up overall production to 10 twin-aisle 787 jets per month," said Albaugh.
"While we welcome the development of this expanded capability at Boeing Charleston, the Puget Sound region is the headquarters of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Everett will continue to design and produce airplanes, including the 787, and there is tremendous opportunity for our current and future products here," Albaugh emphasized. "We remain committed to Puget Sound."
Approximately 55 airlines have ordered around 840 787 airplanes since the program was launched in 2003. The 787 family of airplanes will carry 200 to 250 passengers on flights up to 8,200 nautical miles (15,200 km). The 787 will be more efficient, quieter and have lower emissions than other airplanes while offering passengers greater comfort and the convenience of direct, nonstop flights between more cities around the world.
"The 787 will provide airlines with unprecedented operating economics and efficiencies. It also will take passengers where they want to go, when they want to go, and do it more comfortably and affordably than ever before," Albaugh said. "This airplane will allow us to continue to set the standard for commercial aviation in the second century of flight."
For More info: http://www.boeing.com/commercial/787family/index.html.
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The Washington State officials and the Washingtonians are disapointed about the 2nd 787 Second 787 Assembly Line contract result.
Senator Cantwell received a call at 4:30 p.m. October 28, 2009 from Jim Albaugh, President of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, that a decision was to be announced moving the second line of the Boeing 787 to South Carolina and that production would not take place until 2013.
Washington State Governor Chris Gregoire and officials made their best what they could offer for the 2nd 787 Manufacturing place as much as she has been working together with the officials and many other leaders.
Governor Gregoire and other officials were working hard to foster a good relationship with the Boeing even offered the package itself the amount of $3 billion which was far more money than (from South Carolina) $170 million.
South Carolina, meanwhile, offered a relatively headache-free labor landscape: The state's labor policies give unions less power than they enjoy in Washington, and workers at Boeing's facility there recently voted to oust the Machinists.
It was very clear that the Boeing wants to reach a no-strike agreement with the state's Machinists, who waged an eight-week work stoppage last year.
Accoring to the public media and public opinions, Boeing is going forward for their future for the customers, partners, suppliers, stake holders and employees to meet the quality production within the schedule, the cost.
By now IAM should understand why the Boeing Company have decided another place for the 2nd manufacturing place.
It is the fact that Boeing lost about $100 million in revenue per day and knock about 1 cent per day off earnings per share during the 57 days of Strike started September 6, 2008. Ended November 2nd, 2009. The economic growing fear was greater chance during the strike in 2008 September. 57 days of strike evaporated Boeing's profit and economic crashed worst.
The union struck for 48 days in 1989, 69 days in 1995 and 28 days in 2005 and 57 days in 2008.
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You may have heard that there is a battle between China and Mexico for rights to a new factory. But it will be a wise to beware about this, if we are not be careful, it won't be long before the next Boeing plant ends up in Mexico or China!
If we can say one positive things from this experience, regardless that the Washington State did not win the Second 787 Assembly Line contract which would have 900 jobs, compared with an estimated 80,000 aerospace industry jobs in Washington now, the Washington State should have the greater chance to win Boeing's long-running hopes to win an Air Force fuel tanker 7X7contract. The Governor Gregoire and officials should have better ideas and how to win the bigger contract which would have more than $35bn aerial tanker aircraft deal.
Boeing has unveiled more details of their potential offering for the US Air Force KC-X tanker competition.
The company plans to offer either the 767-based tanker or the larger 777-based aircraft for the aerial tanker competition based on the request for proposal.
The firm intends to pitch a 767-based tanker if the air force requires a flexible wide-body tanker that can operate in an austere, expeditionary environment, and the 777-based tanker if the air force places more emphasis on fuel, cargo and passengers.
Boeing KC-X director and programme manager Rick Lemaster said the aviation firm is prepared to offer the best solution through the KC-7A7.
"Whether it's the agile 767-based tanker or the larger 777-based tanker, Boeing is ready to deliver maximum capability at the lowest cost," Lemaster said.
The Boeing 767-based tanker can offload 20% more fuel, carry three times the cargo and fly five times the number of passengers compared with the USAF's current KC-135, within a comparable narrow-body footprint, according to a Boeing statement.
The Boeing 777-based tanker, meanwhile, is comparable in size to the Airbus A330 and delivers 23% more fuel and carries 44% more cargo and 42% more passengers than the A330 in a more technologically advanced airframe.
The buy is for 179 aircraft valued at around $35 billion. If all goes as planned the contract could be awarded next summer. The draft RFP will hit the streets tomorrow. It will be a fixed-price incentive contract in the development phase, and the first five production lots will be a firm fixed-price contract. The remaining production will be a not-to-exceed contract. "This is going to constrain prices considerably, we believe," Lynn said. "It's shifting the department from a cost-plus world more towards a fixed-price world, and we think that that's going to be an important element in avoiding cost overruns." .
This is the second time the contract has been competed. The Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, recommended that the Air Force re-bid the contract - originally won by a Northrop-Grumman/EADS/Airbus consortium in February 2008. Boeing protested the decision, and in June 2008 the GAO agreed that there were irregularities in the contracting process.
The KC-7X7 $35bn aerial tanker aircraft deal, would have more than 10,000 jobs will creat in Washington State, that's the contract we hope to win and hopefully the unemployees will have hope to find the jobs, when this contract to win for the Boeing Company. See the unemployee rate status as of in Septmeber 2009 in below: South Carolina should be able to fill the 900 jobs from the Boeing 787 2nd manufacturing location deal. However, The Boeing which supplies most of American Airlines' fleet, just announced another new cut in this week. The Boeing will eliminate 98 jobs from ground-based midrange missile defense program, which is in anticipation of decreased Federal support for the program. About 70 of those 98 layoffs will occur in Huntsville, Alabama. another down turn is to carried out 500 layoffs already announced in this week.
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The
Boeing board of directors granted authority to offer the airplane for
sale in late 2003. Program launch occurred in April 2004 with a record
order from All-Nippon Airways. Since that time, 55 customers from six
continents of the world have placed orders for 840 airplanes valued at
$140 billion, making this the most successful launch of a new commercial
airplane in Boeing's history. The 787 program opened its final assembly
plant in Everett in May 2007.
Boeing featured its first 787 in a roll-out ceremony on July 8, 2007, at its Everett assembly factory, by which time it had become the fastest-selling wide-body airliner in history with nearly 600 orders. A total of 850 Boeing 787s have been ordered by 56 customers as of September 2009. Originally scheduled to enter service in May 2008, production delayed and the scheduled service entry date was pushed back to the fourth quarter of 2010. The aircraft's maiden flight, originally planned for September 2007, is now expected by the end of 2009.
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The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a mid-sized, wide-body, twin-engine jet airliner currently under development by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It will carry between 210 and 330 passengers depending on variant and seating configuration. Boeing stated that it will be more fuel-efficient than earlier Boeing airliners and will be the first major airliner to use composite materials for most of its construction. Boeing's development of the 787 is also innovative in the collaborative management approach with suppliers.
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Reported by catch4all.com, Sandra Englund, October 29, 2009 |
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