Boeing seeks 787 help in India

Published 8:12 am Wednesday, February 6, 2008

With its 787 Dreamliner jet eight months behind schedule, the Boeing Co. has turned to a wholly owned subsidiary of India’s Tata Motors Ltd. for help.

The deal was made public in a joint statement released Wednesday, according to various news reports.

TAL Manufacturing Ltd. Will build 787 floor beams at its factory in Nagpur in western India. The company will ship the floor beams to Boeing’s Dreamliner partners in Japan, Italy and the U.S. for assembly.

The move certainly will anger the men and women who Boeing depends upon here in Everett – members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. The Machinists want a bigger piece of the 787 production pie.