EVERETT — The Boeing Co. plans to transfer as many as 750 engineers to Everett from Renton this year.
The purpose of the move is to bring the engineers closer to their co-workers in product development and on other Everett-based programs, wrote Bernard Choi, Boeing spokesman, in an e-mail. The transfer, of between 650 and 750 engineers, will begin in the first quarter and be completed by the third quarter of 2010. The move won’t affect Renton engineers who work on the 737 single-aisle jet program.
In the long term, Boeing’s decision to transfer workers to Everett could mean a boost for the Snohomish County economy — whether the engineers relocate here or simply frequent restaurants and gas stations in the area.
“The move also will help us cut facilities costs by contributing to reductions in the Boeing “footprint,” which supports the company’s long-term asset utilization strategy,” wrote Boeing’s Mike Denton in an e-mail to engineers. Boeing announced this week that Denton will leave his post as vice president of engineering for commercial airplanes and become president of Boeing Japan.
The union representing Boeing engineers expressed concerns about the increased commute time. About two-thirds of the engineers being transferred will have to drive an extra 20 miles or more daily due to the transfer, said Bill Dugovich, spokesman for the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace.
“We recognize that the move will present challenges for people whose commutes will be longer, and we didn’t make this decision lightly,” Denton wrote.
Boeing’s Choi said the transfer’s impact should be minimal on Renton, given the company plans to move nonengineering employees from other Puget Sound locations there.
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