Boeing’s closely followed location decision for 777X manufacturing was formalized in February when the company announced the selection of its Everett, Wash., site as the location for a new composite wing center for the 777X program. The new composite wing center will be located north of the Everett factory and “will sustain thousands of Puget Sound area jobs for years to come,” said the company.
“This will put our workforce on the cutting edge of composite technology and allow us to build on the infrastructure and logistics system we have in Everett,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Ray Conner.
Boeing selected the Everett site for 777X final assembly following the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 751 approval of an eight-year contract extension earlier this year. As part of the contract extension, the company agreed to fabricate the parts for, and assemble, the 777X composite wings in the Puget Sound region. After studying several options, the company determined that the Everett site will meet its business needs for fabrication and assembly.
“This marks the first step in a bricks and mortar commitment by Boeing to build a facility that will be home to the jobs and technology of tomorrow — not in a foreign country or a distant state, but right here in the Pacific Northwest,” said IAM President Tom Buffenbarger, referencing the distant state of South Carolina.
Construction on the new 1-million-sq.-ft. facility is scheduled to begin later this year. Assembly of the composite wings will also take place at the company’s Everett site, with the exact location to be determined in the months ahead. Boeing’s Everett site (pictured with 777X facility location circled) is approximately 1,000 acres (405 hectares), including 215 acres (86 hectares) of paved yards and parking, and 282 acres (113 hectares) of building area.
— Adam Bruns