A winter storm across western Washington isn’t expected to drastically slow jet production at the Boeing Co.’s factories here.
The storm, which blanketed the Puget Sound region in several inches of snow Tuesday, is expected to bring another 2 to 4 inches Wednesday in Snohomish County, where Boeing’s widebody jet factory is located. Already, area schools have been closed and public meetings have been canceled due to the storm.
Boeing is operating on normal schedules at its jet factories across the Puget Sound region, wrote Cindy Wall, a Boeing spokeswoman, in an email Wednesday. The company doesn’t typically suspend operations in this region during inclement weather conditions.
“We will continue to monitor conditions in the region as the storms move through and will evaluate and address any potential impacts to company operations as they occur,” Wall wrote.
Boeing is increasing production on all its aircraft programs in response to customer demand, so a disruption to production would be watched closely by Boeing customers. The company builds more than one 737 daily, recently reaching a pace of 35 jets monthly. In Everett, the jet maker is producing seven 777s monthly with plans to boost production up to 8.3 jets monthly next year.
Boeing has seen a decline in attendance as the company has instructed employees to use their own judgment regarding safely commuting to work, Wall said. If employees are unable to come into work due to the storm, they are expected to coordinate with Boeing managers on other work options if that’s possible or how to charge their time for missed work.
“We are communicating information about company operations to our employees as needed, and reminding them to take safety precautions wherever they are,” Wall said.
The company’s Machinists union posted Boeing’s message to employees regarding the storm and attendance at work on its website.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
