Boeing Supplier Spirit Moves 787 Wing-Part Output to Malaysia

Dec. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Boeing Co. supplier Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc. will move production of a wing component on the 787 Dreamliner to Malaysia from Tulsa, Oklahoma, as the company works to meet demand for parts.

The shift involves what is called the fixed leading edge composite wing component, Spirit said today in a statement. The Wichita, Kansas-based company said its Malaysia operation has worked with composite materials such as those used on the 787.

Boeing’s 787 is the first airliner with a fuselage built chiefly from plastic composites. The Dreamliner’s first delivery was delayed more than three years as Boeing struggled with new materials and a manufacturing process for the twin-engine jet that included increased reliance on suppliers.

Spirit is facing “unprecedented demand,” according to the statement, as Chicago-based Boeing boosts output of all models by about 60 percent through 2014. Spirit builds aluminum hulls for the 737 that are sent by rail for final assembly at the planemaker’s commercial hub in Seattle.

Oklahoma employees working on the Dreamliner wing part will be moved to other airplane programs, Spirit said.

--Editors: Ed Dufner, Jeffrey Tannenbaum

To contact the reporter on this story: Ed Dufner in Dallas at edufner@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Ed Dufner at edufner@bloomberg.net