EVERETT,
Wash., Nov. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) employees last week
rolled out the first 787 Dreamliner built at the new rate of
five-airplanes-per-month. The airplane is the 83rd 787 to be built.
"This
accomplishment, doubling our production rate in one year, is the result of the
combined efforts of thousands of men and women across Boeing and at our
partners," said Larry Loftis, vice president and general manager of the
787 program. "The entire 787 team is focused on meeting our commitments.
They've gotten even smarter in how they build this airplane and applied real
ingenuity in making our processes and tools more efficient."
Boeing
earlier this year increased the rate from 2.5 to 3.5 airplanes per month and is
on track to achieve a planned 10-per-month rate by late 2013. The program
production rate accounts for airplanes built at Boeing South Carolina and
Everett, including the Temporary Surge Line that was activated earlier this
year in Everett.
Boeing
employees are using teamwork and new technologies to meet production rate
increases. Approximately 500 employee involvement teams are actively pursuing
improvement efforts across the program. Teams are led by employees working to
find ways to improve efficiency, quality, safety and growth.
As just one
example illustrative of the efforts happening across the production system, a
team developed a small piece of protective equipment to cover the electronic
actuators that help move the horizontal stabilizer. The plastic covering is now
used across the program to protect the actuators during the production process.
In addition, this small change has resulted in quicker production completion
times.
"The
work our teams are doing to continuously improve is making this program more
efficient," added Loftis. "Their commitment to doing the job with
high quality and making improvements to the system is outstanding."
Among the
new tools being deployed to improve productivity in the Final Assembly areas
are Orbital Drilling machines. The machines are used to drill holes to attach
the wings to the center fuselage section of the airplane. The drilling
technique is unique in that the cutter rotates in a circular motion to carve
out the hole, rather than a conventional drill that cuts straight into the
material. Benefits of the machines include improved precision and time savings
for mechanics. A third benefit is improved safety as the machines require lower
thrust and torque.
To date, 35
787s have been delivered to eight airlines and the program has more than 800
unfilled orders with 58 customers worldwide.
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