A fire that broke out on February 17 at SPS Technologies in Abington Township and burned for several days may cause a delay in Boeing’s turnaround plans, writes Sharon Terlep for The Wall Street Journal.
The factory, operated by a Berkshire Hathaway company, was the sole supplier of several critical fasteners that are used in Boeing’s planes. Now, while the company is searching for an alternative supplier, this setback could threaten efforts to get its manufacturing back on track.
Replacing the parts previously made at the Montgomery County plant is no simple task. The fasteners must withstand the demands of air travel, leading to complex designs. These parts operate in jet engines, landing gear, and other critical components.
While the plant’s loss won’t have an immediate impact on production, Boeing does expect a fallout.
“Our supply chain team is all over this, and they’ll do yeoman’s work to get a recovery plan in place,” said Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg. “We’ll get through it.”
SPS Technologies is a unit of Berkshire’s Precision Castparts, a manufacturer of a variety of metal components for an array of industries.
Read more about Boeing in The Wall Street Journal.
