Published Nov. 4, 2016 in the Puget Sound Business Journal
Boeing's Move to China Would Ease Cramped Quarters at Renton Plant and Boeing Field
Boeing’s plans to open a 737 completion center in China are being driven in part by the jet maker’s need to free up space at Boeing’s cramped Renton plant and Boeing Field, according to a report by Aviation Week.
Boeing (NYSE: BA) announced the new facility in September 2015 as a joint venture between the Chicago-based aircraft manufacturer and Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC).
In a new report Friday morning, Aviation Week said that moving production to China would give Boeing better access to the China and Asia markets. The move also would lower labor costs. And the center in China would give Boeing “a bit more elbow room” because it would free up space in Renton and at Boeing Field during a time when Boeing seeks to ramp up narrow-body aircraft production.
The Boeing Co. will soon reveal the exact location of a new 737 jet completion center in China by the end of the year, according to a report in government-run news publication China Daily.
The facility is expected to paint and install seats and entertainment systems in 100 of the 737 narrow-body passenger jets a year as Boeing increases its foothold in the important Chinese commercial market.
Boeing says the China factory will better persuade airlines there to buy its jets and won’t take work away from its 737 manufacturing operations in Renton.
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2016/11/04/boeing-china-737-renton-comac-production.html