• 

  Boeing

  Stock Code:

  BA

  Date Founded:

  1916-07-15

  CEO:

  Dave Calhoun

  Headquarters Location:

  Chicago, USA

  Key Product Lines:

  Boeing 737, Boeing 747, Boeing 757, Boeing 767, Boeing 777, Boeing 787

  Business Type:

  Planemaker

Earlier this morning, Boeing announced its plans to open a new research facility located in Nagoya, Japan. This marks the latest extension of an existing Cooperation Agreement, which the US manufacturer signed in 2019 with Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). Let's take a closer look at Boeing's plans.

Exploring various new technologies

Boeing is a company that is currently placing a strong emphasis on sustainability. As such, it will use the new facility, known in full as the Boeing Research and Technology (BR&T) Japan Research Center, to focus on elements such as Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Electric and hydrogen technologies will also be the subject of Boeing's research in Japan, as well as future flight concepts.

Boeing has already begun posting Nagoya-based job listings online. As far as the city is concerned, it benefits from a very central location. Indeed, it is located between the major cities of Osaka and Kobe to the east, and Tokyo and Yokohama to the west. Furthermore, Boeing notes that several of its existing suppliers and partners are already based there. Greg Hyslop, its Chief Engineer, stated:

"Working with terrific partners like METI, the new center will expand upon Boeing-wide initiatives in sustainable fuels and electrification, and explore the intersection of digitization, automation and high-performance aerospace composites for greater sustainability in our future products and production systems."

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SAF will form a key part of the center's work

With SAF widely considered to be a key sustainability device for the aviation industry until alternative propulsion technologies become more widespread, it will be key to the facility's research. With this in mind, and in another exciting development, Boeing has also become the latest member of a group known as ACT FOR SKY.

This voluntary organization is made up of 16 key industry players, and it aims to catalyze SAF development and usage in Japan. All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines, both of whom Boeing has close ties with, were among the group's founding members. Boeing's Chief Sustainability Officer, Chris Raymond, said that:

"We are humbled to join ACT FOR SKY and collaborate with other members to share global best practices, and help with the scale-up and demand of SAF in Japan. And we are honored to open the Japan Research Center, and expand our work with airline customers ANA and JAL on advanced technologies to realize zero climate impact aviation."

The airline industry is always full of new developments! What aviation news will you check out next?

Boeing's sustainable summer

As it happens, Boeing's announcement regarding the opening of a new research center in Japan is one of several sustainability-related developments made by the company in recent months. For example, in mid-June, it revealed the latest iteration of its ecoDemonstrator program, a 20-year-old 777-200ER widebody.

Later that month, Simple Flying also explored the company's four-pillar approach to decarbonization, as well as its research in the field of contrail reduction. More recently the Farnborough Airshow saw Boeing sign various SAF-related deals, which included becoming the founding member of a UK-based innovation center.

What do you make of Boeing's plans to open a research center in Japan? How do you rate the company's sustainability efforts? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!