Boeing isues statement about future of Sheffield factory after global production cuts

The aerospace giant said it would cut 787 production due to a structural defect and FlyDubai cut its order of 737 MAX by 65.

The company set up £40m Boeing Sheffield - its first factory in Europe - in 2018. It makes components for the 737 and 767 aeroplanes.

A Boeing spokesman said they had 3,441 of the planes on order.

He added: “Boeing’s presence in Sheffield began 20 years ago, when we founded the AMRC with the University of Sheffield.

“We recently renewed that partnership for another five years, and an outgrowth of that investment is Boeing’s first factory in Europe, Boeing Sheffield.

“Today, Boeing Sheffield produces components for our 737 and 767 aeroplanes. Boeing’s total backlog of aircraft on order is 4,166, of which 3,441 are 737s or 767s.”

Boeing jointly founded the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with the University of Sheffield in 2001.

In February, the firm signed a new five-year contract to continue as a ‘Tier 1’ partner.

Tier 1 partners pay £200,000-a-year and have access to industrial and machining capabilities, and a seat on the AMRC board.

Last year, the company temporarily closed its factory on Sheffield Business Park and shed staff as it targeted 160,000 job cuts due to the impact of Covid-19 on air travel.

The 737 MAX model was involved in two accidents in 2019 killing a total of 346 people.

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Thank you. Nancy Fielder, editor.