Boeing has candidly informed employees that plans to ramp up production and delivery of its popular 787 Dreamliners have hit an unexpected speed bump. The culprit? Protracted supplier shortages of critical components.
This setback comes on the heels of Boeing’s recent deceleration in output and deliveries of its 737 Max planes, following a harrowing near-disaster in January involving a malfunctioning door plug.
Prior to this, Boeing had been endeavoring to accelerate 787 production after a lengthy hiatus caused by extensive quality issues. Only in mid-2022 did deliveries resume.
“We are constantly fine-tuning our production system,” said Scott Stocker, 787 vice president and general manager, in a memo to staff at Boeing’s South Carolina 787 plant. “Your insights into enhancing safety, quality, and training have been instrumental in these improvements.”
However, Stocker acknowledged that supplier shortages persist, causing a reassessment of production and delivery goals. “We’ve informed our customers to expect a more gradual increase in our output,” he wrote, as reported by Reuters.
“Despite this temporary setback, we remain committed to a steady increase in production to meet the high demand for the 787,” Stocker emphasized.
At the end of last year, Boeing was producing around five 787 Dreamliners monthly, with an ambitious target of reaching 10 per month by early next year.
Boeing’s quarterly results release and a more detailed production plan are expected this Wednesday before market open. Stay tuned for updates on this evolving situation.
Data sourced from: cnbc.com
