Boeing 787-8 N787FT (msn 40694) BFI (Nick Dean) (test aircraft – ZA005), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.

Boeing (Chicago) officials along with elected officials and representatives from numerous community and business groups, suppliers and subcontractors joined more than 1,000 Boeing employees at its North Charleston, SC, facility today (June 10) for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of the new 787 Dreamliner Final Assembly building.

Boeing’s Site Services Group and BE&K/Turner, the design-build team, were recognized at the ceremony for their work in bringing construction of the building to completion six months ahead of schedule. In addition the BE&K/Turner team has worked 3.7 million labor-hours without a lost time incident. Employees began moving into the new building in May, and final assembly of the first South Carolina-built 787 Dreamliner will begin later this summer.

In April, Boeing announced that thin-film solar laminate panels would be installed on the roof of the Final Assembly building. This solar installation will provide up to 2.6 megawatts of electrical power for the site and is the largest in the Southeast by production capacity.

The new Final Assembly building features 642,720 square feet (59,711 m2) of covered space, roughly the equivalent of 10.5 football fields. More than 18,000 tons (16,329 mt) of steel and one million cubic feet (28,316.8 m3) of concrete were used in its construction. At full production rate, the South Carolina Final Assembly facility will produce three 787 Dreamliners per month.

The new facility is located at Charleston International Airport (CHS/KCHS). The airport has two runways and is operated under a joint-use agreement with the Charleston Air Force Base.

Boeing workers will have a 1,200,000 square foot building to use for the aircraft assembly. A separate 11,550-square-foot facility is being built where workers will spray airplane logos onto the aircraft tail-fins. A 36,894 square foot security checkpoint and welcome center will be built at the intersection of International Boulevard and Michaux Parkway, Boeing’s main entrance to the site.

The existing building, “The Hub”, will be remodeled, doubling its size to about 30,000 square foot. When finished it will include a large commercial kitchen, of approximately 5,000-square-foot, for employees use. It will also contain a separate section for catering. In addition to the food services, the remodeled “Hub” will feature a medical clinic, human resources office and a retail shop.

Boeing also is in the process of building a separate plant for the construction of 787 aircraft parts to include overhead bins and cabin partitions. The factory will be located off of North Charleston’s Palmetto Commerce Parkway.

Copyright Photo: Nick Dean. Please click on the photo for additional information.