boeing11Even as its 787 Dreamliner continues to suffer repeated issues, Boeing is moving ahead with plans to start building the 777X, an update to its popular wide-body aircraft.

According to a new report by The Seattle Times, Boeing is working on a top-secret project related to the 777X in a former boat manufacturing plant in Anacortes.

An unnamed senior engineer at Boeing told the Times that the Anacortes plant is developing a method to construct the 777X’s metal hull with a greater degree of automation that would lead to higher output.

The company is already using robots to paint the wings of the 777s being made at its Everett plant, and it’s unsurprising that Boeing would take some of that knowledge and put it towards building its next plane.

Boeing is expected to announce plans to start building the 777X this fall, and according to the Times is currently considering its options about where to manufacture the plane. One option would be to have it built in Everett, by converting a 787 “surge line” at that plant into a complete assembly line for the 777X.

It’s also possible that Boeing would outsource construction of the 777X’s fuselage to Japan, and then have the resulting parts shipped back to Everett and assembled here.

The engineer who spoke with the Times was skeptical about whether Boeing would want to outsource the new tech it’s been working on at Anacortes, and said that Everett has a “kick-ass plan” to make 777X manufacturing happen in Everett.

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