THE TRUTH ABOUT THE 787 IN EVERETT

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE 787 IN EVERETT

Since July, rumors have flown about Boeing’s 787’s future in Everett.  Over the last few days, many media outlets have been speculating about rumors and leaks.  Here are the facts after they became public following Boeing’s board meeting this morning which made their plans known.

Boeing will move its’ 787 production to South Carolina.  This will be phased and depending on logistics, completed in mid-2021.

Having communicated with Jessica Kowal, the Senior Media Relations Manager at Boeing, she said, “the wing for the 787 Dreamliner is manufactured by a supplier in Japan.”  This contradicts other media outlets that have claimed this was manufactured in Everett. It will continue to be supplied by Japan and then be shipped closer to assembly.

“The new composite wings for the 777X – our new, larger model of the 777 – are manufactured on the Everett site, in our Composite Wing Center near the 777 final assembly factory”, says Kowal.

Further she states, “We have approximately 900 employees who work on the 787 programs in the Puget Sound region. We will work to minimize the impacts to our employees when possible. Note that in normal times and now, we have and will continue to move employees to different roles.”

This is vastly different from the doomsday reporting of huge numbers of layoffs.  The 747 until its prodction ceases in 2022, the 767, and the 777, will all remain in Everett in varying capacities.

We also have $17.5 million in new funding for the Port of Everett.

According to Paine Field, there is a new Master Plan being developed with several Federal Grants already being awarded.

These grants provide employment opportunities that will help offset the Boeing 787 furloughs.

When one door shuts another opens.  These new federal grant and awards will allow Snohomish County to diversify and continue to grow without depending on one industry.