With a fresh coat of paint and the sun shining through the doors to light it up, a brand new Southwest Airlines 737 looked gorgeous today as we officially opened a newly renovated paint hangar next to our Renton factory. The Southwest 737-700 was one of the first airplanes to be painted at the facility.
The sun shines in on our newly renovated paint hangar in Renton.
The hangar was built back in the late 50’s at the start of the 707 program. Before it closed in 1994, the hangar was also used to paint 727s and 757s. We’ve refurbished the hangar so that it can now paint all Next-Generation 737 models. In case you’re wondering, a crew of about eight painters can finish an entire 737 in about three days.
This Southwest Airlines 737-700 was one of the first airplanes to be painted in the hangar.
This hangar will play a key role as the 737 program goes up in rate. Right now, we stand at 31.5 airplanes per month. By the first half of 2014, the program will go all the way up to 42 airplanes per month. It’s great to be able to turn a piece of Boeing history into something that will be a valuable part of our future.
Looking good in blue, gold, red and orange.
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Comments (7)
It's great to see the 737 NG doing so well. Would love to experience the Boeing Sky Interior someday.
Was just wondering Randy, will Boeing be designing an all new replacement for the 737 or only update the engines like Airbus has with their A320?
Since Boeing's been planning to increase the rate of production at Renton, I was wondering if Boeing is also considering opening another factory to boost production like its main competitor?
Posted on July 13, 2011 19:04
Hi Daniel,
We're still weighing a re-engine vs an all-new small airplane. Once the decision is made, you'll definitely hear about it right here.
Posted on July 14, 2011 08:19
Curious, where are the other 737s painted? If it takes three days, then capacity is around 10 a month max? Are there several paint bays inside? Or do they do them in batches?
Posted on July 14, 2011 12:47
Mike,
We now have a total of six paint hangars for the 737s. Four at Boeing Field, one at the Renton site, and this refurbished one at Renton Field.
Posted on July 14, 2011 16:03
This is a very interesting story. I have always been puzzled by 737 production rate increase announcement.
At one point you need to invest in order to increase the production capacity. This new paint hangar is obviously part of the necessary investment to cope with the higher production rate. I suppose you started to hire more people too. Most likely the supply chain is already aware and ready for the rate increase.
I believe you do not want to repeat the painful experience of 1997.
Posted on July 14, 2011 19:57
It should be an interesting assessment on how Boeing determines the future of the 737 weather the plane is re-engined for a fourth generation or replaced with a 3-3 or 2-3-2 "797". 737 pros include proven design and less time in testing over a totally new airframe. "797" pros include a '21 century airframe, increased engine diameter, taller gear and an ability to stretch the fuselage more than the 737.
For the time being the 737 is doing well in orders and production and the improvements to the painting hanger shows that commitment to higher production quantity and quality of service.
Posted on July 18, 2011 19:04
Interesting: it takes 8 people 3 days to paint a 737. Would love to know then how many people and how many days it would take to paint a 747-8 or an A380. There's so much more to paint of those huge planes.
What would be interesting to know is:
1) On average, how many litres or gallons of paint is used to paint a plane?
2) How many colours of paint do you have in total given the amount of customers? I can already tell that the red used on Southwest is very different from Qantas red.
3) Is the final cost or price of the aircraft determined by paint colours? I recently read that in automotive paints used on cars, blues and purples are the most expensive due to the pigments required to make the colour. I believe they're approximately twice the cost of colours like whites and silvers.
Posted on July 19, 2011 17:01
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