Boeing woes mount with 747-8 delays
Boeing has announced a nine-month delay to its 747-8 jumbo jet programme because of insufficient engineering resources, problems with its supply chain and industrial action at its Seattle factory.
The delay is a significant blow to the company, which is also running 18 months behind with its 787 Dreamliner programme. Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and chief executive Scott Carson said: “We are disappointed in what this schedule change means for our customers, employees, suppliers and other stakeholders.
“Our team has worked hard to mitigate growing schedule risk on this programme but have been unable to overcome the collective impact of [design changes], a tight supply of engineering resources, and the recent strike.”
The revised schedule is based on a production and flight-test plan developed in conjunction with the company’s suppliers that provides additional time for addressing issues that have slowed the programme’s progress.
Ross Bogue, vice-president and general manager on the 747 programme, said: “This schedule adjustment provides the time we need to finish that work and bring both airplanes to market.”
To add to its woes, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems (IDS), plans to cut 800 of the 3,000-strong workforce at its Wichita facility next year. It has already delivered 60-day layoff notices to 76 employees with the rest expected to follow in the first half of 2009.
The company has blamed the job cuts on the delay in the US Air Force tanker replacement bidding process. The $35 billion contract originally went to EADS but the decision was reversed and Boeing IDS resubmitted an improved bid.
© PE Publishing, 26 November 2008
