Boeing Salt Lake completes expansion for 787-9 production

Boeing (Seattle, WA, US) reported on Sept. 25 that it has completed expansion of its West Jordan and Salt Lake City, UT, US facilities; the company also debuted the first 787-9 Dreamliner composite horizontal stabilizer manufactured start to finish in Utah.

“This is an exciting time for Boeing and our Salt Lake team,” says Larry Coughlin, Boeing Salt Lake general manager. “Our recent progress sets the stage for Boeing Salt Lake to become a major composites manufacturing center.’’

In less than two years, Boeing transformed its 850,000-ft² building in West Jordan from a vacant warehouse into a composite fabrication production center with 100 employees.

Components manufactured at the West Jordan site are shipped 22 miles for final assembly of the horizontal stabilizer at Boeing’s Salt Lake City airport facility where a second assembly line has recently been added.

As part of Boeing’s strategy to grow its composite hub in the Salt Lake region, the company purchased the West Jordan composites manufacturing building in 2013 and began production at the beginning of this year.

In the past year alone, the Utah Fabrication teams have:

Implemented new advanced manufacturing processes designed to help employees work more safely and efficiently
Delivered the first 737 MAX flight deck structure
Expanded Boeing’s presence in the community through STEM and academia outreach
Partnered with Industry and Government Office of Education Development (GOED) to launch the Utah Aerospace Pathways education pilot. Utah Lieutenant Gov.

Boeing Salt Lake currently employs more than 760 people in three locations. Employees provide design/build and multisource integration of composite empennage products and flight deck structures, including the 787 vertical fin, the 787-9 horizontal stabilizer, Flight Deck Consoles for all models, assembled components and emergent support. Utah is also home to a Boeing defense team of approximately 250 employees in Ogden and Little Mountain.