MHI to increase production of composite wing boxes for Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) will make investments for production facilities for the 787 composite wing box at Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works (Shimonoseki) and Nagoya Aerospace Systems Works (Nagoya) in response to Boeing's plan to increase production rate of 787 from current 10 shipsets per month to 14 shipsets by the end of decade. Commencing from October 2014, construction work will start to expand Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works where composite stringers, a reinforcement structure, are manufactured and to expand Nagoya Aerospace Systems Works' Oye Plant, where composite skin panels and wing boxes are fabricated and assembled. Increased production rate is targeted to begin in 2016.

Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works will expand the Aircraft Shop and will add autoclave for curing and shape-forming the layered composite prepregs under high temperature and high pressure. In Oye plant in Nagoya, automated composite tape layer in the Fabrication Factory will be added and the Painting and Assembly Factory will be expanded including modification of automated drilling machine and installation of painting robot.

MHI is responsible for manufacture of the 787's composite wing boxes. By expanding its production capacity and supplying the 787 composite wing boxes of high quality, the company will continue to play a crucial role in the 787 project - a significant step in expanding its commercial aircraft business.