Manitoba Aerospace Week

Where vision takes flight Boeing chooses Winnipeg for major site expansion B oeing's fabrication division operates 12 plants in three countries – giving them plenty of options when it comes to allocating work – but the aircraft icon singled out Winnipeg as the site of a 150,000-square-foot expansion. Already the biggest composites manufacturing facility in Canada, this 22 per cent boost to Boeing Canada Winnipeg's existing space (bringing the total to 665,000 square feet) will primarily be used to construct the one-piece composite acoustic inner barrel for the engine inlet of the 737 MAX – making this new model 40 per cent quieter than it is today. "Boeing Canada Winnipeg has a great future ahead in support of unprecedented production rates," said Kevin Bartelson, general manager, Boeing Canada Winnipeg. "Earlier this year, we negotiated a successful contract extension with our local Canadian Auto Workers union. This contract ensures we have the stable workforce, skills and now the manufacturing space we need to take on exciting new production for the 737 MAX." This local expansion – the first since 1990 – offers concrete evidence of Boeing's enduring commitment to Winnipeg. Ever since winning important contracts to build parts for the 787 Dreamliner a decade ago, Boeing Canada Winnipeg has increasingly been tapped to construct some of the company's most complicated composite-parts assemblies, while less sophisticated constructs are shifted to other sites. This positions the Winnipeg operation especially well, given that the local Boeing outlet is making parts for the company's most modern aircraft. Also significant is Boeing Canada Winnipeg's repeated No. 1 ranking for Lean practices, beating out nearly 50 other sites to take top honours for the last four years in a row. This annual in-house award serves as an abiding testament to the capability, reliability and work ethic of Boeing's highly skilled Winnipeg personnel. Approximately 1,600 aerospace manufacturing professionals now work at Boeing Canada Winnipeg—as large a workforce as has ever existed, which comprises a major support to Winnipeg's aerospace sector and its specialized clusters. The new expansion, about the size of 12 Olympic-sized swimming pools, means that employment is expected to remain steady for the next 10 years. Did you know: • Boeing's fabrication division singled out Winnipeg as the site of a 150,000-square-foot expansion, increasing its existing space by 22 per cent to 665,000 square feet • The expanded footprint will primarily be used to construct the one-piece composite acoustic inner barrel for the engine inlet of the 737 MAX • Boeing Canada Winnipeg has increasingly been tapped to build some of the company's most complex compositeparts assemblies • About 1,600 aerospace manufacturing professionals work at Boeing Canada Winnipeg, with the expansion expected to keep employment stable for the next 10 years Boeing Canada Winnipeg will undergo a 150,00-square-foot expansion. Submitted photos Manitoba Aerospace Week September 9 - 13, 2013 9

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