Boeing has been forced to delay delivery of 12 aircraft from this month to the fourth quarter, as it struggles to keep pace with ambitious plans to increase production to 43 aircraft a month by early 1998.
The delays are blamed on a combination of inexperienced new workers, parts shortages and "a stretched supplier base". The problems will affect the delivery of seven 737s, four 747s and one 757 to ten unidentified customers, which are likely to seek penalty payments.
Although Boeing still expects to deliver between 340 and 350 aircraft this year as planned, it warns that further delays are likely while "get-well" plans take effect. "These sort of problems are not going to go away in a hurry," says Boeing, which adds that it may take "up to six months" before delivery schedules are back on track.
News of the delays come hard on the heels of the announcement in August that the handover of 747s and 767s will be slowed, with deliveries of at least one of each type expected to slip into 1998. "We talked then about moving assembly people from the 767 to the 747 line and that has worked. What became apparent was that we needed to do more because the problems are systemic across all programmes. It became clear that part of the plan involved moving 12 aircraft deliveries from this month to the next quarter," says the company.
Boeing Commercial Airplane Group president Ron Woodard adds: " Our plan includes working with suppliers to obtain parts, shifting personnel among our production lines, working overtime, talking with the unions to get industry-assist agreements, and exploring delivery schedule changes with airlines."
Assembly workers from the Douglas Products division in Long Beach, California, are expected to be drafted in. Boeing is also believed to be considering the possibility of bringing in workers from Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and even some heavy-maintenance engineers from airlines such as United Airlines.
Source: Flight International
