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Boeing’s $1bn Everett factory takes wing

US plane maker Boeing has begun work on the 1 million square foot factory that will manufacture the wings for its upcoming 777X airliner.  

Work has started on the $1bn 777X Composite Wing Centre seven weeks earlier than expected. It is situated at Boeing’s campus in the town of Everett in Washington State, and will be attached to the north side of the final assembly building where Boeing puts together its main commercial airliners. This will make the largest building in the world even larger. 

Construction work on the centre is expected to be completed in May 2016 and will require approximately 3.5m hours of work. The project will create 1,200 contract jobs at its peak.

Artists depiction of a 777X airliner

Boeing estimates that the building will require: 31,000 tons of steel, 770km of electrical cables, 24,384m of process piping, 405,210 cubic meters of fill material and 170,000 tons of concrete.  

Ray Conner, president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said "We’re excited with the progress being made on this new facility that will play a crucial role in bringing the 777X to market.  

We wouldn’t be in this position without the support of our teammates and partners throughout the Puget Sound region and in Olympia – we owe them all a debt of gratitude."

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