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marmar

(77,090 posts) Tue Jan 8, 2013, 07:56 PM Jan 2013

Fuel Leak Is Latest Setback for Boeing 787

(NYT) Boeing’s newest and most sophisticated jet, the 787 Dreamliner, suffered a new mishap on Tuesday when a fuel leak forced an aircraft to return to its gate minutes before taking off from Boston, a day after an electrical fire broke out on another plane.

The events were the latest in a series of problems with the 787, which entered commercial service in November 2011 and has been hit by technical and electric malfunctions since then. Boeing delivered 46 planes last year, more than any analyst had predicted, and has outlined ambitious plans to double its production rate to 10 planes a month by the end of this year.

Much rides on the success of the 787 for Boeing, which expects to sell 5,000 of the planes in the next 20 years. The basic model has a list price of $206.8 million, but early customers typically received deep discounts to make up for the production delays and teething problems. All this means it could be years before Boeing starts recouping its investment costs and turn a profit on the planes.

Shares of Boeing dropped 2.6 percent to $74.13 on Tuesday, extending Monday’s drop of 2 percent. ..............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/09/business/fuel-leak-is-latest-setback-for-boeing-787.html?_r=0

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Fuel Leak Is Latest Setback for Boeing 787 (Original Post) marmar Jan 2013 OP

Looks like Boeing is have a few problems with manufacture, integration and maybe suppliers stultusporcos Jan 2013 #1

stultusporcos

(327 posts)

1. Looks like Boeing is have a few problems with manufacture, integration and maybe suppliers

Reply to marmar (Original post)

Tue Jan 8, 2013, 08:28 PM

Jan 2013

Boeing announced on December 16, 2003, that the 787 would be assembled in its factory in Everett, Washington. Instead of building the complete aircraft from the ground up in the traditional manner, final assembly would employ just 800 to 1,200 people to join completed subassemblies and to integrate systems.[30] Boeing assigned its global subcontractors to do more assembly themselves and deliver completed subassemblies to Boeing for final assembly. This approach was intended to result in a leaner and simpler assembly line and lower inventory, with pre-installed systems reducing final assembly time by three-quarters to three days.

Subcontracted assemblies included wing manufacture (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Japan, central wing box) horizontal stabilizers (Alenia Aeronautica, Italy; Korea Aerospace Industries, South Korea); fuselage sections (Global Aeronautica, Italy; Boeing, North Charleston, USA; Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Japan; Spirit AeroSystems, Wichita, USA; Korean Air, South Korea); passenger doors (Latécoère, France); cargo doors, access doors, and crew escape door (Saab AB, Sweden); software development (HCL Enterprise India); floor beams (TAL Manufacturing Solutions Limited, India); wiring (Labinal, France); wing-tips, flap support fairings, wheel well bulkhead, and longerons (Korean Air, South Korea);[43] landing gear (Messier-Dowty, UK/France); and power distribution and management systems, air conditioning packs (Hamilton Sundstrand, Connecticut, USA). Boeing is considering bringing construction of the 787-9 tail in house; the tail of the 787-8 is currently made by Alenia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_787#Manufacturing_and_suppliers

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