Americas

Boeing downplays 787 production snags

(AP)
Updated: 2007-06-13 16:08
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Large sections of the first 787 arrived at the final assembly plant with lots of temporary fasteners that will have to be replaced with permanent ones, an issue first reported in the Post-Intelligencer.

Though Boeing knew about the fastener shortage ahead of time, Scott Strode, vice president of airplane development and production for the 787, said it proved to be a bigger challenge than the company had anticipated.

"We were surprised at how much detailed management we had to do on all of those little fasteners to get them here, but we are getting them here," Strode said when Boeing kicked off final assembly on the first 787.

Alcoa Inc., the world's largest producer of aerospace fasteners and a supplier for the 787, had Boeing visit a few of its Southern California plants in recent weeks as it works on ways to meet demand, Alcoa spokesman Kevin Lowery said.

"Build rates are quite strong and the demand for fasteners for the 787 is stronger than anyone expected," Lowery said.

Boeing has also had to work with Italy's Alenia Aeronautica after the horizontal stabilizer it made for the first 787 arrived with dings that indicated it might have been improperly handled during shipment.

Last week, a top executive at Vought Aircraft Industries in South Carolina, a key 787 partner, resigned amid reports that analysts found its plant to be less impressive than those of other 787 suppliers.

Vought spokeswoman Lynn Warne said the company "is working diligently" to resolve what she characterized as "supplier issues."

Vought builds the 787's rear fuselage sections in a plant in Charleston, S.C., while Global Aeronautica, a joint venture between Vought and Alenia, has a nearby plant where mid-body fuselage sections built in Italy and Japan are joined together.

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