The Boeing Company said it will consolidate production of 787 jets at its facility in North Charleston, S.C., starting in mid-2021, according to the company's best estimate.
The decision comes as the company is strategically taking action to preserve liquidity and reposition certain lines of business in the current global environment to enhance efficiency and improve performance for the long-term.
While Boeing's versatile 787 family has outperformed other widebody airplanes during the challenging market downturn, its production system has been adjusted to accommodate the current difficult market environment while positioning the 787 family to ramp up production as air travel increases.
The company began assembling 787-8 and 787-9 airplanes at its Everett site in 2007, and brought the North Charleston facility on line as a second final assembly line in 2010.
However, only the North Charleston site is set up to build the larger 787-10 model. Production of the smaller 787 models will continue in Everett until the program transitions to the previously-announced production rate of six airplanes a month in 2021.
In July, Boeing announced an in-depth study into the feasibility of producing 787s at a single location. This analysis confirmed the feasibility and efficiency gains created by consolidation, which enables the company to accelerate improvements and target investments to better support customers.
Jay Inslee, governor of the U.S. state of Washington, on Thursday said that Boeing's decision to move all 787 Dreamliner production to South Carolina is an insult to the aerospace workers of the state.
According to Inslee, he had asked Boeing's leadership what the company needed to keep 787 production in Washington state, but the company demanded nothing.
"I understand the serious market forces Boeing faces today. What I don't understand is why the company can't commit to restoring production here when the market for this plane improves," Inslee complained.
"This news falls hardest on the more than 1,000 Washington workers who build the 787, and many more who face uncertainty as a result of this decision," he noted.
Inslee reaffirmed in the statement that the aerospace industry will remain a major employer in the state with about 70,000 workers. The state is committed to maintaining support for those companies and workers. ■