New Boeing facility officially opens in Winnipeg

Just over 18 months after shovels hit the ground, on Tuesday, Boeing Canada officially opened their new 12,000 square foot expansion here at its Winnipeg facility.

The $20 million expansion is headlined by a new state-of-the-art freezer for storing composite materials, nearly doubling the facility’s capacity. The materials will then go on to be used in the production of numerous Boeing commercial aircraft.

“That material ultimately will be thawed on the floor that we are standing on, and then it will move into the production floor, where our great team in Winnipeg will turn that into composite materials for our Boeing commercial fleets,” said Al Meinzinger, the president of Boeing Canada.

The new expansion will also shrink the facility’s carbon footprint, as the upgraded refrigerator will use 21 per cent less energy than its predecessor. 

But aside from the new bells and whistles, Meinzinger views the expansion as a long-term commitment to the hundreds of workers who make up their Winnipeg team. 

“This Winnipeg team is optimally positioned to meet the growing demand for aircraft while maintaining the highest standards of quality,” said Meinzinger.

“We are super proud of the work that happens here. We established ourselves over 50 years ago, in terms of our Boeing footprint in Canada, it’s really critical, I’m proud of the team here and we are pretty excited for the future.”