Boeing announced May 3 that it has chosen South Carolina as the location for fabrication and assembly of airplane interior parts to supply the 787 Dreamliner final assembly and delivery site currently under construction in North Charleston, S.C. The company is reviewing potential sites for the new airplane interiors facility and anticipates making a final decision by midsummer.
The new facility, Boeing Fabrication Interiors South Carolina, will be located near the North Charleston final assembly and delivery site. As many as 150 employees will work at the new interiors facility, which will serve as an extension of the existing Interiors Responsibility Center in Everett, Wash., leveraging the opportunities of a single, integrated production system. This decision is part of Boeing's plan announced in 2009 to provide an independent sourcing stream for 787 final assembly and delivery in South Carolina. The close proximity of this new facility to Boeing's Charleston site will help improve the efficiency of the final assembly and delivery process in South Carolina.
"By expanding Boeing's footprint in South Carolina, we enhance our existing foundation with Boeing Charleston and further contribute to the growth of aerospace in the region," said Ray Conner, vice president and general manager for supply chain management and operations, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "Ultimately, the decision we made in 2009 builds on our overall strategy to successfully meet our 787 customer commitments and to optimize our production capability."
The Boeing Fabrication Interiors South Carolina team will manufacture 787 interior parts, including stow bins, closets, partitions, class dividers, floor-mounted stow bins used by flight attendants, overhead flight-crew rests, overhead flight attendant crew rests, video-control stations and attendant modules.
"Recognizing the superior quality of the products and services provided by our Interiors Responsibility Center in Everett, Boeing believes this extension is an important step in ensuring that we maintain a high level of consistency and quality in our production system," said Conner. "In the long term, we are strengthening our position in the aerospace market and ensuring that we remain competitive as a company."
Located within the Boeing Everett complex, the Interiors Responsibility Center is a focused area of excellence for the design, manufacture, assembly and integration of a wide range of interior systems for production, aftermarket and spares for Boeing commercial jets. Approximately 1,380 people work at the IRC producing products that include crew rests, doors and doorway linings, overhead stow bins and floor-mounted stow boxes, life raft boxes, closets and partitions, secure flight deck doors, video control centers, purser work stations, dry galleys, ceilings, sidewalls, decorative laminates and proximity lighting. Engineering integration services provide customer interior solutions from concept product design through project management and certification.
