Boeing to Shut Down Facility for a Day

The quality stand-downs will start at the Renton, Washington, factory.

Wednesday, January 24, 2024 at 12:46 PM ET

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Boeing’s 737 factory in Renton will halt its production line on January 25 so employees can focus on "quality." [Courtesy: Boeing]

Key Takeaways:

Boeing is implementing "Quality Stand-Downs" across its factories, starting with the 737 program, to pause production for working sessions focused on improving quality and compliance.
The incident involving the detached door plug on an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 is now primarily attributed to Boeing, following a whistleblower's claim that the plug was improperly reinstalled at its Renton plant.
Subsequent inspections of other 737 MAX 9 aircraft revealed widespread loose bolts, leading to the grounding of the fleet, flight cancellations, and strong criticism from airline executives.
Both Boeing and its fuselage supplier, Spirit AeroSystems, are under intense scrutiny regarding their quality control practices, with Spirit AeroSystems also facing a class-action lawsuit from former employees.

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On Thursday, Boeing’s 737 factory teams will conduct a “Quality Stand-Down” in Renton, Washington. According to Boeing, during the session the company’s production, delivery, and support teams will not build airplanes but instead “take part in a working session focused on quality.”

In an internal communication sent to employees of Boeing’s Commercial Airplanes division, division CEO Stan Deal said this was the first of many quality stand-down days for the factories involved in the 737 program.