January 2008, Issue 10

A New Age of Aircraft Manufacturing

787 Dreamliner production is under way

 

The game changing 787 Dreamliner is, without question, the airplane the market was waiting for. It has captured the imagination of the traveling public and inspired airlines to develop new ways to operate profitably and offer the most competitive service. With 817 orders from 53 customers as of mid December 2007, the 787 is the most successful jetliner ever launched.

Beyond revolutionizing the materials from which future commercial jets will be built, the 787 ushers in new ways of manufacturing airplanes and of doing business—for suppliers as well as for Boeing.

Building airplanes has always been a global venture, but with the 787, Boeing is raising partnering to greater heights. We are bringing together the best aerospace suppliers from around the world to form a global design-build community that will produce the world’s most advanced jetliners.

The 787 production line has come to life as the fi rst three airplanes— Number 1, which is the fi rst fl ight test airplane, and the two ground test units— undergo fi nal assembly. Many tasks now being performed on the Boeing assembly line will be completed at supplier manufacturing sites when the process is mature.

Launching a new manufacturing system is as challenging as launching a new airplane program. The rewards promise to be at least as great. The new process defines not only how the 787 is built, but how commercial airplanes designed in the 21st century will be built. By integrating the new production technologies with the global supply chain now, Boeing gains a significant head start against other aircraft manufacturers who will have to develop and implement their own versions of the system.

In the monthly program update on December 11, 2007, Pat Shanahan, 787 program vice president and general manager, noted significant progress in resolving supply chain issues and expressed confidence in the advantages of the global 787 production strategy. "We are clearly seeing the benefit of the decision we made this fall to have our structural partners hold on their delivery dates and focus on a required condition of assembly," said Shanahan.

"We remain focused on three things: driving toward powering up Airplane #1 in preparation for the flight test program; working with our partners to meet the assembly condition and schedule targets; and ensuring that the processes and resources are in place for a rapid transition to full-rate production."

By December 11, Dreamliner No. 1 had moved forward on the assembly line and two more airplanes had moved in behind it to fill the line. Boeing and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration had reviewed and agreed to all the technical requirements for type certification. "Component structural testing is 80 percent complete, and safety of flight qualification testing on our airplane systems is 91 percent complete," Shanahan said.

"Risks remain," Shanahan cautioned. "We encounter them every day and knock them down every day. While the challenges are significant, the team is committed and engaged, and we are making steady progress across the board."