Boeing is refuting an investigation by the New York Times about production issues at the company's 787 Dreamliner plant in South Carolina.
The New York Times reviewed internal emails and interviews with current and former employees and found a culture that often valued production speed over quality. The report said safety lapses at the plant had drawn scrutiny from airlines and regulators.
Boeing's airplane production has been under a microscope following the second deadly crashes of a 737 MAX jet in March. Reports of rushed production to beat competitor Airbus have investigators looking into the company's safety tests of the jet's anti-stall system.
Boeing has acknowledged that in each crash, a faulty sensor triggered an anti-stall system when it wasn't needed, pushing the plane's nose down. Pilots on each flight fought unsuccessfully to regain control, according to flight data retrieved from the planes.
Employees working at the South Carolina plant have reported "issues like defective manufacturing, debris left on planes and pressure to not report violations," the New York Times said.
The report said there is no evidence that concerns stemming from production at the plant led to safety incidents. The Dreamliner jet has never crashed.
In response to the New York Times report, Boeing Executive Kevin McAllister said, "Safety and quality are at the core of Boeing's values - there is nothing more important than that. I am proud of our teams' best in-process quality of production and stand behind the work they do each and every day."
Boeing leaders made another attempt to defend the company's practices after the New York Times story, which suggests concerns surrounding Boeing's two prized planes could "point to potentially systemic problems."
"It’s unfortunate and disappointing that the New York Times chose to publish this misleading story. This story, however, does not define us. Our company and our customers recognize the talent, skill and dedication of this excellent Boeing South Carolina team that works together to assemble and deliver incredible airplanes," said Brad Zaback, 787 Program vice president & general manager.
As Boeing works to implement a software fix for the 737 MAX, the company will cut back production of the 737 by 19 percent per month.
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg announced Friday that the aerospace giant would temporarily move from a production rate of 52 airplanes per month to 42 airplanes per month starting in mid-April.
The move is not expected to impact any positions.
It comes nearly seven months after Boeing reportedly planned to increase 737 production to 63 airplanes per month.