Boeing 787 Dreamliner Supplier Prepares to Begin Production in South Carolina

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas). Vought Aircraft Industries, Incorporated (Dallas, Texas) and Global Aeronautica, LLC (Charleston, South Carolina), a joint venture between Vought and Alenia Aeronautica SpA (Rome, Italy), are currently putting the final touches on two new plants in North Charleston, South Carolina.

Vought will build fuselage sections 47 and 48 for Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner passenger jet. Global Aeronautica will integrate 787 fuselage structures in a new building co-located within the composite aerospace industrial cluster adjacent to the Charleston International Airport. From there the parts will be sent to Boeing’s plant in Everett, Washington where final assembly will take place. The finished sections represent 60% of the 787 fuselage.

Construction began at the site on March 16, 2005 on the $600 million project. Global Aeronautica and Vought's 342,000 square-foot production facility as well as the 12,000 square-foot training building were constructed by Suitt Construction (Greenville, South Carolina), part of the BE&K Building Group (Birmingham, Alabama). BRPH Companies, Incorporated (Melbourne, Florida) was responsible for the engineering and design.

A track system runs through the plant to transport the fuselage barrel sections in the early stages of fabrication and assembly before they make their way to the Global Aeronautica integration facility next door. Approximately 70,000 square feet of the Vought plant will be dedicated to a composites manufacturing cleanroom with interior clear heights of 40 feet. The cleanroom will also contain the world’s largest autoclave, an oven in which temperature and pressure are used to cure the composite material. The autoclave measures 30 feet by 75 feet with a volume of roughly 82,000 cubic feet. Fully loaded, it weighs more than 500 tons. The autoclave, supplied by ASC Process Systems (Los Angeles, California), was completed Thursday afternoon. Due to the autoclaves enormous size it had to be fabricated onsite. The autoclave will process components to a maximum pressure of 150 pounds per square inch gauge at a maximum temperature of 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Alenia Aeronautica will build the center fuselage sections 44 and 46 in its facilities in Italy and deliver these to the Global Aeronautica integration facility cohabited on the 240-acre site with Vought, where fuselage sections from Vought, Alenia Aeronautica SpA, and other structural partners will be joined and integrated. Integration work will involve the joining of the majority of the fuselage sections and the installation and testing of the associated systems. The plant is expected to be fully operational in October.

Charleston's access to long runways, a deepwater port, and rail systems reduce the logistical challenges of moving these large sections. They will be loaded onto modified Boeing 747’s, Large Cargo Freighters (LCF), and flown to Boeing's Everett, Washington plant for final assembly. The first LCF is currently undergoing ground testing to prepare for its first flight in Taipei, Taiwan. The second is currently being modified and is expected to be complete this fall. A third will be modified in 2007.

Boeing is working closely with suppliers so that components will be delivered from supplier plants to Boeing's plant ready for final assembly. Production of the 787 will begin in late 2006 with first flight expected in 2007 and certification, delivery, and entry into service by 2008.

Vought Aircraft Industries is one of the world's largest independent suppliers of aerostructures. The company designs and manufactures major airframe structures such as wings, fuselage subassemblies, empennages, nacelles, spoilers, inboard trailing-edge flaps, and other components for prime manufacturers of aircraft. The company has worked on practically every Boeing jetliner in production from the 737 to the 777. Vought has annual sales of approximately $1.2 billion and employs over 6,000 people in seven locations in the U.S.

Alenia Aeronautica, an Italian company with almost 100 years of experience in the aviation industry, is an industrial leader in aeronautical production, with products ranging from combat and transport aircraft to commercial aircraft, aerostructures, mission systems, and aircraft maintenance and modification. The company had revenues of approximately $1.58 billion in 2003 and has over 8,800 employees.

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