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North Line team readies Everett for 737 MAX production

Learn more about how Boeing is training its teams and preparing to open a new production line.

April 07, 2026 in Commercial, Our-People

Boeing leaders touring the North Line production line. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg recently toured the 737 North Line. (Photo Marian Lockhart)

Boeing will open a new 737 MAX production line this summer in Everett, Wash., where the company will manufacture 737s for the first time. The North Line will expand capacity for single-aisle production, allowing Boeing to better meet market demand.

  • The North Line will be capable of building all 737 MAX models and will initially focus on producing the 737-8, 737-9 and 737-10.
  • Production in Everett will replicate the 737 build process used in the Renton factory, apart from the introduction of the 737 Wing Transport Tool, which will ferry partially completed wings for final assembly in Everett.

With construction and tooling of the new line ready to go, the focus is now on hiring and training hundreds of teammates who will work on the North Line.

Building the team: The North Line team will include a combination of newly hired employees and existing teammates from Renton, Everett and Moses Lake. This will help ensure safety and quality standards are consistently met across 737 production, and that new teammates have support from experienced mechanics.

One such mechanic is John V., who has worked for Boeing for nearly 40 years, most recently as a workplace coach for the Quality team in Everett. He brings experience from 747, 767 and 777 programs to his new role as an FAA and customer coordinator for the North Line.

“This will be my first time working on the 737 program,” John V. said. “But we are doing the training right. Even folks like me who have been around for a long time are in Renton now getting familiar with the program and the product before the North Line starts.”

Fresh faces: Jaden M. and Alondra P. joined Boeing in late 2025 as some of the first teammates hired for the 737 North Line.

“Opening a new production line is something special,” said Jaden, who installs the dorsal fin in Flow Day 1. “So, we have to do it right. Training went smooth and I’m excited and ready to get home to our shop in Everett.”

Following 12 weeks of Foundational training, Jaden and Alondra recently completed their structured on-the-job training (SOJT).

SOJT pairs new mechanics with experienced teammates to hone the skills learned in Foundational Training and better understand the jobs they will ultimately do. Teammates for the North Line will complete their SOJT in Renton.
“Training was so positive and refreshing,” said Alondra P., an electrician for Flow Day 1. “It was different than any training I’ve done from other jobs. My managers and the workplace coaches were always there to make sure I got my questions answers and felt confident in my work.”

Safety and quality: Once the North Line begins operation, the program will complete a process known as low rate initial production (LRIP). During LRIP, the build process is intentionally slowed to provide additional checks and make any adjustments to the production system to support standard flow times in the future.
“It’s like running,” said Jennifer Boland-Masterson, production leader for the Everett line. “We know how to do it, and we’ve done it before, but we need to warm up our muscles. You don’t start with a marathon. You start with shorter distances and build up from there.”

Boeing will use the first set of airplanes built on the LRIP line to demonstrate conformity to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) - allowing the North Line to operate under Boeing’s productions certificate, PC700.

Following the completion of LRIP and conformity airplanes, the North Line will be integrated into the overall 737 MAX flow and production, adding capacity for production rates above 47 airplanes per month.

 

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