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Boeing increases 737 production to forty-seven jets per month and opens fourth production line in Everett
Boeing has ramped up 737 production to forty-seven jets per month and is opening a fourth production line at its Everett facility north of Seattle, targeting fifty-two jets per month by early next year.
Boeing has increased production of its 737 aircraft to forty-seven jets per month and announced the opening of a fourth production line at its Everett facility north of Seattle. The company is targeting fifty-two jets per month by early next year as CEO Kelly Ortberg declared the company is off and rolling.
The new production line takes advantage of empty space at the Everett facility created by the end of the 747 program and the relocation of 787 production to Charleston, South Carolina. Boeing plans to start the line slowly this summer with work not expected to contribute to deliveries until next year.
The expansion comes after Boeing adopted a deliberate quality-over-quantity approach under Ortberg following years of safety and production crises. Industry analysts note this is the first time the careful methodology has genuinely filtered down to the factory floor, with workers buying into the culture change.
A key challenge lies ahead when Boeing pushes past forty-seven jets per month toward fifty-two, at which point the supply chain buffer will be exhausted. Every supplier from mega-corporations to small machine shops will need to have expanded capacity to keep pace with demand from both Boeing and Airbus.
Global demand for new aircraft continues to exceed what Boeing and Airbus can produce, with Airbus also facing its own production rate challenges. The ongoing gap between production capacity and airline orders means the aviation industry remains in a seller's market for the foreseeable future.