Plant Makes Fuselage Sections For The Dreamliner

In a move that could result in a second assembly line for the troubled 787 Dreamliner, Boeing is planning to buy a Vought Aircraft Factory in South Carolina where portions of the 787 fuselage are fabricated. Sources close to the negotiations say the move is designed to give Boeing more control over its supply chain.

The Wall Street Journal cites an aviation industry blog "FlightBlogger" as the source of the information. The negotiations have reportedly been going of for months.

Boeing set out to change the way airliners were made with the 787, using a de-centralized supply chain for manufacturing components with final assembly being done in Everett. But The Wall Street Journal reports that the project was so complex that it was very difficult for the company to keep track of its suppliers, and this move is an attempt to exercise more control over the Dreamliner's construction.

File Photo

The paper also indicates that purchase of the South Carolina facility could mean a second assembly line for the 787 when production finally gets underway. Boeing has more than 850 orders for the aircraft, which is now two years behind schedule, and was just delayed again by problems with sections of the all-composite fuselage.

FMI: www.boeing.com