Boeing Agrees to Buy Vought Aircraft 787 Operations

[Coventina]

Source: Bloomberg

July 7 (Bloomberg) -- Boeing Co., the world’s second- largest commercial-aircraft maker, agreed to acquire Vought Aircraft Industries’ 787 operations in South Carolina for about $580 million in cash.

Vought also will be released from obligations to repay advances, Chicago-based Boeing said today in a statement. The facility in North Charleston performs fabrication and assembly on the Dreamliner’s fuselage. The plant will be managed by Boeing’s 787 program, which is about two years behind schedule.

Vought will continue its work on other Boeing programs, including building other parts for the 787, 737 and 747, Boeing said.

“The financial demands of this program are clearly growing beyond what a company our size can support,” said Elmer Doty, president and chief executive officer of Vought Aircraft Industries.

The 787 was postponed for a fifth time June 23 so engineers can design reinforcements for sections where the wings join the body of the plane. Composite layers in those sections separated during ground stress tests.



Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aNW41e9XrRGU

[dysfunctional press]

1. the dreamliner has turned into a nightmare for boeing.

i wonder if it will EVER be flown commercially?

[Psephos]

3. Sounds like they're committed to producing a safe and long-lived plane

Better to get it right than get it fast, IMO.

[dysfunctional press]

4. 'fast' was passed by probably 5 years ago or more...

it remains to be seen whether 'right' will ever be accomplished. :shrug:

[MadMaddie]

11. Yes it will fly!

We as Americans should want a safe and dependable product that can be used by the public.

American ingenuity and perfection does not happen overnight. Americans have to break the habit of the last 30 years of expecting miracles overnight.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

2. irony in outsourcing,

Ironically in the outsourcing disaster that is the Boeing 787 program, the "international supply chain partners" who fell flat on their faces were the ones in republican occupied third world america - the foreign contractors performed quite satisfactorily.

[Locrian]

5. walmart

That's because the whole thing was "walmart shopped". Technical or capability was never considered. Low cost won in all bidding.

[ItNerd4life]

6. Only foreign contractors performed satisfactorily? Don't like Americans?

You don't even have data to back this up.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

8. do you know ANYTHING about the 787 fiasco? how about the meaning of "ironic"

Boeing outsourced much of the project to incompetent red state contractors who have fucked up over and over again and Boeing contributed some colossal fuckups of their own, all the while the Japanese and Italian contributions have been comparatively trouble free.

Not a macro trend, just a colossally fucked up project led by incompetent outsourcing obsessed Boeing management.

Watch out Ford, because Alan Mulally - the man behind the disastrous 787 outsourcing strategy was hired by Ford to bring his "unique vision of a 21st century global supply chain" to the company.

[Brother Buzz]

7. Foreign outsourcing jobbers (Japan) are not performing satisfactorily

Fancher said the stress problem occurred at about 18 locations on each wing, in areas no bigger than 1 or 2 square inches each. The areas affected are where the wing made by Mitsubishi in Japan is joined to a part of the center fuselage body made by Fuji, also of Japan.

What parts are being screwed up domestically? :shrug:

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

9. Why don't you include the entire quote?

"We're talking about a couple of parts that can literally be held in your hand," at each of the 36 locations affected, Fancher said."

Vought can't delivery the fuselage barrels ready for installation, while Spirit in Kansas can't deliver anything on time and some of what they do deliver doesn't fit.

[Brother Buzz]

10. Well, you pick and choose your quotes, too.

Fancher said that while the reinforcements will add "a small amount of weight, we expect negligible impact to airplane performance."

However, given the two years of delays leading up to this last-minute surprise, such assurances have a big credibility problem. The lack of a new schedule is also an issue.

......

"There is a big credibility problem created by foreign contractors". That's MY quote