CHICAGO, March 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NYSE:
BA] announced a temporary suspension of production operations at
its Puget Sound area facilities in light of the state of emergency
in Washington state and the
company's continuous assessment of the accelerating spread of the
coronavirus in the region. These actions are being taken to ensure
the well-being of employees, their families and the local
community, and will include an orderly shutdown consistent with the
requirements of its customers.
Boeing plans to begin reducing production activity today and
projects the suspension of such operations to begin on Wednesday, March 25, at sites across the Puget
Sound area. The suspension of production operations will last 14
days, during which Boeing will continue to monitor government
guidance and actions on COVID-19 and its associated impacts on all
company operations. During this time, we will be conducting
additional deep cleaning activities at impacted sites and
establishing rigorous criteria for return to work.
"This necessary step protects our employees and the communities
where they work and live," said Boeing President and CEO
Dave Calhoun. "We continue to work
closely with public health officials, and we're in contact with our
customers, suppliers and other stakeholders who are affected by
this temporary suspension. We regret the difficulty this will cause
them, as well as our employees, but it's vital to maintain health
and safety for all those who support our products and services, and
to assist in the national effort to combat the spread of COVID-19,"
Calhoun added.
Production employees should continue to report for their
assigned shifts today and will receive guidance on their role in
the suspension shutdown process.
Puget Sound area-based employees who can work from home will
continue to do so. Those who cannot work remotely will receive paid
leave for the initial 10 working days of the suspension – double
the company policy – which will provide coverage for the 14
calendar day suspension period.
"We will keep our employees, customers and supply chain top of
mind as we continue to assess the evolving situation," Calhoun
said. "This is an unprecedented time for organizations and
communities across the globe."
When the suspension is lifted, Boeing will take an orderly
approach to restarting production with a focus on safety, quality
and meeting customer commitments. This will be a key step to
enabling the aerospace sector to bridge to recovery.
Boeing is working to minimize this suspension's impact on the
company's ability to deliver and support its defense and space
programs, and ensure the readiness of our defense customers to
perform their vital missions. Boeing will work closely with those
customers in the coming days to develop plans that ensure customers
are supported throughout this period. Critical distribution
operations in support of airline, government, and maintenance,
repair and overhaul (MRO) customers will continue.
Contact
Boeing Communications
media@boeing.com
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SOURCE Boeing