Aircraft
Boeing Acknowledges Charleston Factory’s Struggles
Boeing's Charleston factory produces some three 787s per month, but the company needs to add workers to improve flow times. (Photo: Boeing)
Boeing's Charleston factory produces some three 787s per month, but the company needs to add workers to improve flow times. (Photo: Boeing)

Boeing’s Charleston, South Carolina 787 factory has experienced a higher number of behind-schedule jobs involving the airplane’s mid-body section than originally anticipated, requiring it to apply “additional resources” to help flow times progress to a satisfactory level, Boeing CFO Greg Smith acknowledged during a conference call the company held Wednesday to discuss its fourth-quarter earnings. Smith attributed the difficulty to the simultaneous introduction into production of the 787-9 and an increase in rate from seven to 10 Dreamliners per month. On January 24 Boeing announced that it had rolled out the first 787 at the 10-per-month rate.