SEATTLE, Nov. 8, 2006 -- The Boeing Company has started using a moving assembly line for the first time to build the market-leading 777 jetliner. For now, the moving assembly line is used only during final assembly of the airplane, moving it at a steady pace of 1.6 inches per minute during production.
To make its 777 assembly line move during final assembly, Boeing uses a tug that attaches around the front landing gear of the airplane and pulls it forward. The tug has an optical sensor that follows a white line along the floor.
Contact: Chuck Cadena, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, 425-294-6105