Boeing invests in world-class Everett Delivery Center

Boeing (NYSE:BA) today announced another major investment in its Puget Sound site operations with the planned construction of a new, expanded Everett Delivery Center (EDC).

The EDC plays a critical role in Boeing's Everett site operations, serving as the hub for delivering 747, 767, 777 and 787 commercial airplanes.

The investment in the new state-of-the-art facility will feature three times the office, conference and delivery operations space as the current EDC. The expansion will create more capacity for deliveries and allow the EDC to better focus on the airline customer experience.

"With production rates increasing across all airplane programs, we expect deliveries in record numbers for years to come," said Jeff Klemann, vice president of the delivery center. "Our outgrowth of space is a great by-product of our Everett employees' success. A new facility will allow us to best serve our customers as we deliver Boeing's finest airplanes at a pace that continues to quicken."

Approximately 3,500 airplanes have delivered from the facility, first opened in the late 1960s.

Boeing employees and customers housed in the EDC have started to relocate temporarily to the neighboring Everett Modification Center (formerly known as Aviation Technical Services or ATS), a leased facility at the South end of Paine Field.

Demolition of the current facility is expected to begin in January 2012 followed by a groundbreaking ceremony in early 2012. The new EDC is expected to open for operation in the first quarter of 2013. Plans are already in place to ensure seamless deliveries during this interim construction and expansion period.