Boeing Rolls 777s For Gore Vice President Tours Giant Everett Plant, Home Of Company’s Hot New Passenger Jet

Workers peeked out from the doorways of unfinished airplanes and lined up on movable stairs to get a better look at Vice President Al Gore as he toured the Boeing Co. plant here Thursday.

“Boy, I like to see all these jobs here. This is great,” Gore said, shaking hands with some of the employees lined up to greet him.

Gore, accompanied by Gov. Gary Locke, toured the huge main assembly building and stopped to talk to several workers about their jobs. Then he gave a brief speech to hundreds of Boeing employees and executives.

The vice president marveled at the size and scope of the 777 production line. The Everett complex’s main assembly building is one of the largest buildings in the world - big enough to hold 10 Kingdomes.

Gore spoke with Lynda Moore, a 19-year Boeing veteran, about her work in systems installation, where wire bundles, hydraulic tubing, vents and insulation are put in the planes.

“It was wonderful,” Moore said afterward. “It was a feeling, here’s a guy who’s really a person.”

“He seemed genuinely interested,” added Chuck Prather, who’s been with Boeing almost 18 years.

Workers told Gore about Boeing’s “lean manufacturing program,” in which the company made employee-recommended changes to boost production and efficiency. Some of the changes were as basic as moving parts closer to work areas.

Boeing plans to increase production to 40 aircraft a month, its highest output ever.

“The managers asked you for the best way to do this,” Gore told the crowd assembled amid some nearly finished 777s.

“We’re trying to take that approach to government.”

The company also has added 5,000 new employees since mid-January, bringing total company employment to nearly 153,000.

Gore applauded the company’s success in competing in the global market.

“The new economy in the world, in which Boeing is a leader, requires a determination to adapt and change,” he said.

Gore said the Clinton administration was doing its part to try to keep the U.S. economy vital with efforts to open more overseas markets and other measures.

In March, Gore was on hand when China signed a deal for its civil aviation authority to purchase five of 777-200 series passenger jets, a sale worth $685 million to Boeing.