On Nov. 20, 2009, Boeing broke ground for a final assembly and delivery location for the 787 Dreamliner in North Charleston, SC.
Fifteen years ago, on Nov. 20, 2009, history was made as Boeing broke ground a final assembly and delivery location for the 787 Dreamliner in North Charleston, SC. The decision established North Charleston as only the third location in the world to produce and delivery widebody commercial airplanes.
The announcement was “confirmation that Boeing had confidence in our ability to build its airplanes in South Carolina,” said Robert Flynt, a teammate in Aftbody. Robert worked at Boeing Charleston (as the Aftbody facility was known then) at the time of the announcement in 2009 and remembers that the decision gave the team “a feeling of stability for our future.”
Establishing South Carolina as a 787 Dreamliner final assembly and delivery location helped expand Boeing’s production capability to meet customer demand for the airplane. The site was already performing fabrication, assembly and systems installation for the 787 aft fuselage sections, and joining and integrating 787 fuselage sections from structural partners.
“It’s hard to believe it’s already been 15 years since we broke ground,” said Scott Stocker, 787 vice president and general manager, and Boeing South Carolina site leader. “Boeing has invested more than $2.5 billion in South Carolina in that time, and we’re going to continue to invest in this team and site so we can meet customer demand for the 787. While these are challenging times for our company, customers love this airplane and demand for the 787 is high. It’s an opportunity to make the future ours in Boeing South Carolina.”
Being part of the South Carolina community for the last 15 years is important to Boeing. The company has invested more than $100 million with charitable organizations throughout South Carolina, with an emphasis on education, arts and culture, health and human service es, civic engagement, and the environment.
In addition, the DreamLearners program, which is an education outreach program for middle and high-school aged students, has engaged with more than one million students in South Carolina. BSC teammates also donate locally through the Employee’s Community Fund, giving more than $2.2 million to Charleston area organizations to date.