Boeing solicits bids for new plant site of 777X production

[thelakelander]

It would be cool if we could land something like this at Cecil.

SEATTLE — Boeing Co. is soliciting bids from more than a dozen locations that want to build the new 777X airplane and secure thousands of jobs along with it, a company official said Saturday.

Spokesman Doug Alder said requests for proposals began going out Friday. Boeing wants the proposals returned in a few weeks, and the company hopes to make a final decision early next year.

Alder declined to specify the locations of interest but said each had asked for the chance to compete for the 777X work and met the company's qualifications. He also declined to discuss the criteria the company will use to assess bids.

"We'll look at what might best fit our needs," Alder said.

Officials in Alabama, California, Missouri, South Carolina, Texas and Utah are among those who have talked about trying to lure Boeing.

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/viewart/20131124/NEWS02/311240038/Boeing-solicits-bids-new-plant-site-777X-production

[civil42806]

It would be cool if we could land something like this at Cecil.

SEATTLE — Boeing Co. is soliciting bids from more than a dozen locations that want to build the new 777X airplane and secure thousands of jobs along with it, a company official said Saturday.

Spokesman Doug Alder said requests for proposals began going out Friday. Boeing wants the proposals returned in a few weeks, and the company hopes to make a final decision early next year.

Alder declined to specify the locations of interest but said each had asked for the chance to compete for the 777X work and met the company's qualifications. He also declined to discuss the criteria the company will use to assess bids.

"We'll look at what might best fit our needs," Alder said.

Officials in Alabama, California, Missouri, South Carolina, Texas and Utah are among those who have talked about trying to lure Boeing.

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/viewart/20131124/NEWS02/311240038/Boeing-solicits-bids-new-plant-site-777X-production

Won't happen in jax.  most likely SC or in Alabama to counter airbus, most of the Missouri sites have been closed.  Texas is possible, Utah have no idea why that would be considered other than tax relief.

[thelakelander]

Would it not happening in Jax have more to do with having a local skilled labor force or the incentives game?

[tufsu1]

the folks in Washington State claim that their transportation costs will increase significantly if Boeing doesn't build the 777 there....apparently there is a concern it will hurt the state's bond rating and interest rates will go up.

[jaxjags]

Incentives. I am no expert, but I was in Charleston SC for the first 787 rollout last year. I read in paper that the city and state offered different incentives, including directly contributing to the construction of the plant. The total of the incentives was somewhere between $800 and $900,000,000.  The article said the plant investment was $968,000,000. These numbers may be off, but the point I remember is they essentially paid for the plant. I don't believe Florida has that kind of tax structure to support something like this.

[Gators312]

I think the 777x will be built in Everett, this is strictly fodder for union negotiations. 

[vicupstate]

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/12/05/4523047/boeing-bidding-war-how-far-will.html

It would seem to me that if Cecil Field were offerred, with the ability to have nearly complete control of the runway, that it would be a strong contender.  Yet there is no word whatsoever that FL is even in contention.

[spuwho]

Here is what I found were the base requirements from the RFP.



Details of Boeing's requirements for a site suitable for assembly of the 777X and its large composite wing show the company is searching for new facilities costing up to $10 billion, access to transportation infrastructure and a 9,000-ft. runway.

According to details of the RFP obtained by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the requirements specify either a single $7-10 billion, 4.2 million-sq.-ft. site that will house both final assembly and wing construction under one roof, or two sites— one to house the final assembly line and the other the 114-ft.-long composite wing.

Divided up, the requirement calls for a primary 3.1 million-sq.-ft. facility costing between $4 billion and $6 billion for fuselage and final assembly, and a secondary 1.1 million-sq.-ft. site for the wing costing between $2 billion and $4 billion.

The RFP notes that work would begin on building the facilities in November 2014, with the aim of starting the production process in July 2016. This timeline dovetails with Boeing's stated schedule for the new twinjet family, which calls for detailed design in 2016 and final assembly beginning in 2017. First flight of the 777-9X is expected in 2018 with flight tests running through 2019.

The first delivery of the 777-9X is targeted for 2020, with initial deliveries of the -8X following around 18 months later in early 2022. The larger site combining final assembly line and wing would start with 3,250 employees in 2018 and grow to 8,500 by 2024. The documents say a wing-only plant would have 1,075 workers to start and peak at 2,760.

As well as detailing requirements for access to existing road, rail and airport infrastructure, the RFP also specifies a preference for access to port facilities.

In addition, it adds the company's preference is for a location that "will share in the cost of capital expenditures." A list of desired incentives includes acquisition of the site at "no cost, or very low cost," facilities at no or significantly reduced cost, local infrastructure improvements provided by the site winner, training support and a variety of tax incentives.

[Gators312]

SEATTLE (AP) — Boeing machinists narrowly approved a contract Friday that concedes some benefits in order to secure assembly of the new 777X airplane for the Puget Sound region, solidifying the aerospace giant's presence in the Seattle area for years to come.

The issue fractured the union and drew unusual pleas from politicians who said the deal was necessary to support the area's economic future. Boeing has been exploring the prospect of building the 777X elsewhere, a move that could trigger a steady exodus of aerospace jobs from the place where Boeing was founded.

"Tonight, Washington state secured its future as the aerospace capital of the world," Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said late Friday night.

Boeing quickly hailed the eight-year contract extension, affirming that under its terms, the 777X and its composite wing will be built in the Puget Sound area by Boeing employees represented by the Machinists union.

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/us/article/Boeing-machinists-OK-contract-tied-to-777X-5110315.php