Tue, Oct 30, 2007
Says It's Awaiting Revised Plan From Boeing
Finmeccanica SpA subsidiary Alenia Aeronautica announced Monday
it has suspended further shipments of Boeing 787 fuselage segments
until the American planemaker sets a new schedule for production of
the upcoming composite-bodied airliner.
Alenia contributes 14 percent of the 787's structure, including
two fuselage segments and the horizontal stabilizer assembly. The
company sent six shipments to the US before Boeing announced a six-month delay to the
Dreamliner program earlier this month, and is almost
done with components for the seventh and eighth aircraft.
Boeing admitted October 24 it's still having problems assembling
fuselage segments on the 787, due primarily to a shortage of the
specialized fasteners needed to join the composite barrel sections
together... meaning the planemaker has little need for more parts
than it can assemble.
"Boeing is finalizing the program but the problem is that we
don't have a date at the moment," Alenia Composites CEO Maurizio
Rosini told Bloomberg. He added the company has enough room at its
plants in Grottaglie and Foggia to store finished sections until
Boeing is ready for them.
In a separate interview, Finmeccanica COO Giorgio Zappa said
Alenia contracted with Boeing to offer as many as seven shipments a
month... with that rate increasing to 10 a month by the second half
of 2008, as ANN reported.
"It's clear if they increase production, we could reach maybe
120 a year," Zappa said, while adding Boeing hasn't fixed such an
optimistic schedule.
Despite the fact each shipment represents anywhere from $6
million to $8 million for Alenia, the company asserts the halt in
deliveries will have "no financial impact."
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