Boeing opened its new manufacturing facility this week in St. Louis, where it will manufacture components of the upcoming 777X jet. The site historically served as an assembly facility for McDonnell Douglas military jets. Boeing merged with the company in 1997. Now, a 424,000-square-foot composite manufacturing complex will produce wing edge and empennage parts for the 777X beginning early next year. The first deliveries of the new wide-body airliner are scheduled to start in 2020. Confirmed orders are up to 306 aircraft, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Boeing has invested $300 million so far in the new plant, which will have about 700 employees there over the next few years and support the 777X assembly operations in Everett, Washington.
Boeing’s expansion in the St. Louis area bodes well for the company’s longtime presence there. The company has about 15,000 employees in the region including those in its Defense, Space & Security division, and state officials said the new composite facility will mean another asset that’s conducive to future growth, the Post-Dispatch reported. “Boeing has had a presence in St. Louis for nearly 80 years. We’ve built more than 12,000 fighter jets here,” the company said in a statement. “With the opening of this new composite center, our well-trained, high-quality workforce is able to demonstrate its versatility and expertise, positioning our region for additional commercial and defense work in the future.”
