Even as Boeing’s preparations for its new 777X plane advance rapidly in Everett, company executives this week acknowledged — in muffled tones — that they’ll need to cut 777 production in 2018 as assembly of that new jet begins.
To provide some buffer for the added complexity of building the new 777X, Boeing will leave an uncertain number of empty positions in the manufacturing flow when it starts assembling the new plane. The scope of that planned production slowdown hasn’t been determined, executives said.
But any reduction in output of the tremendously profitable 777 — each sold for about $165 million — will cut into Boeing’s revenue and profits.
Employment at the widebody jet plant is unlikely to be affected as workers spend extra time building the first 777Xs.
Briefing journalists this week in advance of the Paris Air Show in mid-June, Boeing 777 vice president Elizabeth Lund said the jetmaker “will feather in with some blanks” as it begins building the 777X.
What she refers to as “blanks” are empty positions introduced into the 777 work flow, from initial fabrication of parts through final assembly. As mechanics cope with the extra work and the learning process that comes with building a new model, having no airplane in the slot directly behind offers some breathing space.
“When you fire a blank you just build one less,” Lund said.
Yet, in a circumlocution that
Article source: http://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/boeing-will-cut-777-output-when-777x-production-starts/
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