PHOTOS: (Far left) The nose of a 737. (Insets, from top) The 737 wing-body join position; as each 737 moves down the line, a tail (horizontal and vertical stabilizers), wiring, interior (seats, galleys, lavatories) and flight deck are installed, and by the time it reaches the last position on the moving line, engines have been added and the airplane is ready for flight testing; the 737 moving line runs the length of the factory, with support groups positioned nearby to quickly resolve issues and deliver parts to keep the line moving. Frontiers April 2014 19 Next-Generation 737 has risen about 33 percent, from 31.5 to 42 airplanes a month. “Efficiency improvements in the factory, many of them developed by our employees, are a big part of why we’re able to successfully increase the number of airplanes we build,” said Beverly Wyse, vice president and general manager of the 737 program. Boeing photographer Bob Ferguson recently visited the Renton site and took these photos from high above the assembly lines—a different perspective from the hubbub of activity on the factory floor. n james.a.wallace4@boeing.com
Frontiers April 2014 Issue
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