787 Built in 50 locations

[rogertb]

Hope this is the correct site for this sort of question but I see the new 787 is built in 50 locations around the world, anyone know why this is and how it can be cost effective, given what must be enormous transport costs ...

[Orval Fairbairn]

In article >,
rogertb > wrote:

> Hope this is the correct site for this sort of question but I see the
> new 787 is built in 50 locations around the world, anyone know why this
> is and how it can be cost effective, given what must be enormous
> transport costs ...

It allows specialty companies to build the parts and cuts down on
Boeing's retirement and benefit liabilities.

[rogertb]

It allows specialty companies to build the parts and cuts down on
Boeing's retirement and benefit liabilities.

that's fascinating ... of course it had to be down to money but I find it fascinating that transport costs (even after the building of the 'Dreamlifters') are low enough for this to work !

Thanks Orval - Roger

[Panic[_4_]]

It's also political. Having other countries profiting from the construction
encourages those countries to buy Boeing aircraft.

"rogertb" wrote in message ...


Orval Fairbairn;829889 Wrote:
> It allows specialty companies to build the parts and cuts down on
> Boeing's retirement and benefit liabilities.

that's fascinating ... of course it had to be down to money but I find
it fascinating that transport costs (even after the building of the
'Dreamlifters') are low enough for this to work !

Thanks Orval - Roger




--
rogertb

[Allan McDowall]

Hope this is the correct site for this sort of question but I see the new 787 is built in 50 locations around the world, anyone know why this is and how it can be cost effective, given what must be enormous transport costs ...

rogertb;829865 I think the answer to your question is to think yourself into the minds of the members of the board of an aircraft maker. You cannot have the entire workforce waiting until an order happens to ' fly by '. So the airplane tends to get put together by groups of other people who specialise in different parts, and whose staff have expertise, theoretical and experience, in very narrow fields - because the science of, say, hot end turbine design differs from the science of cold end turbine design. It takes 10 years or so to conceive a new gas turbine, to its birth. The science of wing flutter is different from the science of airplane fusilage structure. Money to gather these people into manageable groups has to be raised, so it is borrowed, on the international stockmarket. You hope that the people who lend you money will be patient and wait to be paid - but young bloods ( and old bloods too ) have discovered that this money is sitting waiting to be played with, like chips at a casino. So, the company tends to fragment its holdings into little bits - what would you do ? Yes, the Stockmarkets, upon which the entire world depends, are out of control, and have always been - but getting nations to agree is like herding cats. The successful companies tend to grow, those less successful tend to shrink - but bigger may not necessarily be better, because huge size militates against innovation usually - not always. Continual change & improvement are sort after, because that is what the travelling public want. The fact that there are far too many of us already and that we do not really need to eyeball each other when it can be done electronically has not yet caught on. But our capitalism is in essence a predatory activity; one is either a predator or a prey - aren't you ? That is the best answer I can give, now I will keep my head down whilst others who know more than me answer. Allan

[Allan McDowall]

Hope this is the correct site for this sort of question but I see the new 787 is built in 50 locations around the world, anyone know why this is and how it can be cost effective, given what must be enormous transport costs ...

rogertb;829865 I think the answer to your question is to think yourself into the minds of the members of the board of an aircraft maker. You cannot have the entire workforce waiting until an order happens to ' fly by '. So the airplane tends to get put together by groups of other people who specialise in different parts, and whose staff have expertise, theoretical and experience, in very narrow fields - because the science of, say, hot end turbine design differs from the science of cold end turbine design. It takes 10 years or so to conceive a new gas turbine, to its birth. The science of wing flutter is different from the science of airplane fusilage structure. Money to gather these people into manageable groups has to be raised, so it is borrowed, on the international stockmarket. You hope that the people who lend you money will be patient and wait to be paid - but young bloods ( and old bloods too ) have discovered that this money is sitting waiting to be played with, like chips at a casino. So, the company tends to fragment its holdings into little bits - what would you do ? Yes, the Stockmarkets, upon which the entire world depends, are out of control, and have always been - but getting nations to agree is like herding cats. The successful companies tend to grow, those less successful tend to shrink - but bigger may not necessarily be better, because huge size militates against innovation usually - not always. Continual change & improvement are sort after, because that is what the travelling public want. The fact that there are far too many of us already and that we do not really need to eyeball each other when it can be done electronically has not yet caught on. But our capitalism is in essence a predatory activity; one is either a predator or a prey - aren't you ? That is the best answer I can give, now I will keep my head down whilst others who know more than me answer. Allan