Posted by Courtney E. HowardRENTON, Wash., 19 Oct. 2011. Boeing (NYSE:BA) officials have increased the rate at which the company builds the Next-Generation 737, ramping up the program’s production rate to 35 airplanes a month, from 31.5 aircraft monthly. According to company executives, the increase is intended to meet worldwide market demand for the single-aisle airplane. The 737 production rate will increase to 38 airplanes a month in the second quarter of 2013, and to 42 airplanes a month in the first half of 2014.
Boeing employees loaded chords and webs from the Boeing Fabrication division into the company's newest automated spar assembly tool—marking the first visible step in the airplane’s final assembly. The parts were joined to make a spar, the main support structure for the wings. The automated spar assembly tool at the Renton factory, drilling 1,700 holes and inserting fasteners to make the spar, increases wing-building capacity.
“This is part of the series of rate increases to meet customer demand for the most popular airplane in aviation history," boasts Beverly Wyse, vice president and general manager of the 737 program.
Boeing’s Renton, Wa., facility boasts three enhancements to prepare for the rate increases on the 737 program: more efficient production processes, via working with employee process improvement teams; production capacity with capital investments, such as a new wings system installation line in the Renton factory; a more efficient site footprint, by moving some production areas, expanding others, and decommissioning outdated equipment.
