CHICAGO—Zodiac Aerospace is struggling to meet demand for luxury seats for Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, putting the aerospace giant at risk of missing its 2014 delivery target.
Manually assembling small parts isn’t that difficult. Inserting a screw into a hole or a wire into a connector is simply a matter of hand-eye coordination. Assembling larger parts, like, say, the multiton fuselage sections of a jetliner, is whole other matter.
SEATTLE—Boeing has pushed some factory work on the 787 Dreamliner to the uncovered tarmac outside its assembly plant in Washington state in an effort to keep churning out the popular plane at a rate of one every three days. At the same time, at least 16 Italian-made fuselage sections for the 787 have stacked up in a Boeing hangar in Wichita, KS, rather than being shipped directly to the factory, a sign of changes in the production process.
SEATTLE—Since late last year, Boeing 787 Dreamliner fuselage sections from North Charleston, SC, have arrived at the final assembly line in Everett, WA, seriously incomplete with wiring and hydraulics lines missing, according to multiple sources in the factory.
EVERETT, WA—As battery woes kept the 787 grounded, Boeing workers picked up the pace, enabling the company to roll out this week the first Dreamliner built at the rate of seven aircraft per month.
SEATTLE—Boeing achieved a major milestone on Tuesday as the Federal Aviation Administration approved its plan to test fixes for the battery problems that have grounded its 787 jets since mid-January.
SEATTLE—Boeing has developed possible fixes for the battery problems in its grounded 787 jets and could have them back in the air within two months, industry and federal officials said Wednesday.
SEATTLE—While the hunt for the root cause of the 787 battery problems continues, Boeing remains adamant in its faith in the current lithium-ion technology.