| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2010 5:35 pm |
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Local News 
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World watches 787 debut This afternoon, the public will get a glimpse of the first new commercial aircraft designed and built entirely in this century.Aviation enthusiasts won't be the only ones watching when the Boeing Co. reveals its 787 Dreamliner to the world. Major manufacturing companies, such as Toyota, are keeping tabs on Boeing and its 787, as noted recently by Erick Van Houtte of Dassault Systemes. Dassault designed software for Boeing that allowed the plane maker to virtually assemble the 787 before its major components were even built. "What Boeing is doing is leading edge," Van Houtte said, at an aerospace summit in Everett. "It's the future today." What's so leading edge about the 787 that has even Toyota curious? Van Houtte believes it's Boeing's supply chain that has many manufacturers transfixed. With the 787, Boeing has said goodbye to the industry's old way of building planes, making the Dreamliner truly a jet for a new century. Instead of having its own workers put together tens of thousands of pieces, including many joined with rivets, Boeing has embraced an increased use both of carbon-reinforced composite materials and of suppliers for its 787. It's the latter that Van Houtte finds intriguing. Boeing will manufacture only about 35 percent of the Dreamliner in-house, relying on major partners in Japan, Italy and South Carolina to build the remainder. The supplier-made parts will arrive in Everett essentially complete - stuffed with wiring and systems and even painted - making it ready to be joined together in three days. "It's probably the most ambitious project anyone has undertaken," Van Houtte said. Boeing isn't simply depending on its suppliers to provide pieces of a 20th century aluminum-based airframe to be riveted together in Everett. Instead the plane manufacturer expects its partners to craft entire jet sections in ways never before accomplished on a large scale. The 787 will be the first commercial aircraft made mostly of composite materials - materials that increase the jet's fuel efficiency and allow it to have such passenger amenities as bigger windows, less cabin pressure and more humidity. Guided by computers, suppliers will layer carbon fiber and epoxy in a form, seal them in a plastic bag to keep out impurities and then heat them up to become super strong. Boeing partners such as Italy's Alenia Aeronautica and Japan's Kawasaki Heavy Industries have constructed huge ovens called autoclaves to bake their composite pieces. Boeing would have had a tough time completing all the composite work for the 787 in-house, said Scott Hamilton, an analyst with the Leeham Co. "I don't think you would have the suppliers if you didn't have the composites," he said. The use of outside suppliers spurred resentment from some. Boeing Machinists are angered that the company gave what the union believes to be members' jobs to workers in other countries. Boeing promised only the creation of 800 to 1,200 final assembly jobs in Everett for the 787, far fewer than with previous jet programs. The 787 hasn't been a disappointment for local and state officials, who in 2003 devised numerous incentives - tax credits, transportation improvements, work force training - to persuade Boeing to assemble the Dreamliner in Washington. The ripple effects of Boeing's decision on both the Puget Sound area and state economies have been tremendous, government leaders say. They'll keep an eye on the Dreamliner because Boeing's success with the plane is key to that of the region. Since its launch, the Dreamliner has won more than 600 orders from 45 customers. Analysts believe Boeing could see even more after it proves the Dreamliner is on track - with its rollout, for first flight and for first delivery in May 2008. That means airlines and analysts alike want to know how well Boeing's ambitious adventure is working. With any new project, however, there are bound to be a few rough spots. With the first few planes, Boeing is finding out the strength of its suppliers. Not all of the assemblies for this first 787 came prewired. Some came with minor nicks and gouges, or coated with dust and debris, said Mike Bair, vice president of the 787 program. "It was a little bit of a disappointment, but nothing to indicate it's going to be a chronic problem," he said. Overall, things have gone well with Boeing's expansive supply chain, Bair told investors. But "Did we get all the details right?" Bair said. "Nope." In June, Boeing hit a few bumps in the road with final assembly of the first 787 when two sections didn't fit together perfectly. But the first intact Dreamliner unofficially rolled out of its assembly bay just after midnight June 26 and was towed to the paint hangar. When Boeing unveils that painted 787 later today, it will begin to answer the question asked around the world: will it work? Reporter Michelle Dunlop: 425-339-3454 or mdunlop@heraldnet.com. |
Photo Gallery: Boeing 787 Dreamliner Rollout
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- Snohomish County's bargain housing won't last
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- Plan for I-5 closures this week
- A new bowling alley for Monroe?
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(11) - A tidy lawn could be law in Lynnwood (10)
- Lynnwood sets height limit on grass: 8 inches (5)
- Everett police officers cleared in 2008 shooting death (5)
- 1949 travel aid shows how few places blacks were welcome in Washington (4)
- I-5 bridge joint may give you a jolt, but it isn't damaged (4)
- Everett rethinks boutique wineries (4)
- County archive software paid for but waiting for set-up (3)
- Three politicians who want Gregoire's job in 2012 (3)
- Toyota has powerful D.C. friends (3)
- Edmonds educator, famous announcer dies
- Mill Creek to appeal ruling on annexation
- Through the air, with the greatest of ease
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- The path to citizenship
- EUUC puts on ‘Pants & Shoes’
- Wolfpack wins the ‘Battle'
- Lynnwood’s annexation plans OK’d
- Arlington's Cascade Valley Hospital celebrates expansion, national award and 100 years of service
- Business Licences Feb. 2010
- Technology tips for launching your own business
- Business Events Feb. 2010
- Tech Talk: No excuse today for going without a Web site
- State already raising fees and rates that restrict business growth
- Some legislators again targeting people’s initiative petition rights
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