Boeing finalises Vought purchase for 787s

Boeing announced the conclusion of its acquisition of the business and operations conducted by Vought Aircraft Industries at its South Carolina facility, where a key structure for the 787 Dreamliner is built. The newly acquired facility, located in North Charleston, will be called Boeing Charleston and will be managed by the 787 programme as a wholly owned subsidiary. Boeing Charleston will continue to perform fabrication, assembly and systems installation for 787 aft fuselage sections, which are made primarily of composite materials, the airframer said in a statement. The move is widely seen as a bid to shore up its key manufacturing supply chain that has seen ongoing delays resulting in serious delays to the 787 programme with industry insiders speculating Boeing may turn the facility into a full 787 assembly line