Boeing urges suppliers to automate to lift production

Boeing is urging its suppliers to move away from traditional manual assembly and adopt modern automation. Chief Technology Officer Lane Ballard spoke at an industry event on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, stating that suppliers must embrace autonomy and repeatability to help raise aircraft production rates.

Both Boeing and its competitor Airbus SE are attempting to boost output to clear large order backlogs while navigating supply chain bottlenecks for key components. Ballard estimated that the global industry will require approximately 40,000 commercial airplanes over the next 20 years. Raising 737 Max production remains critical for Boeing to pay down debt and compete in the single-aisle market.

The remarks follow statements from Boeing Chief Executive Officer Kelly Ortberg, who said the company needs more time to stabilize 737 production at 47 planes per month. Ortberg noted challenges in in-house wing production, but indicated that supply chain conditions should allow the company to move to the next production rate next year once workflow enablers are in place.

Ballard noted that Boeing and its supply network need engineers with expertise in software, autonomy, artificial intelligence, and rapid design-to-manufacturing processes to build wings and components at modern speeds.