FlightNow: Boeing's 777X Will be Efficient Both in the Air and on the Ground

One of Boeing's biggest success stories in 2013 was the introduction of its 777X twin-aisle airplane which captured orders valued at $95 billion at list prices during the Dubai Airshow in November. Boeing's 777X will be the largest and most efficient twin-engine jet in the world and boasts 12% lower fuel consumption and 10% lower operating costs than its competition.

The 777X won't just be efficient in the sky, either. Just this week investors got a glimpse of how manufacturing of the 777X will offer a leap in production efficiency as well. According to the Seattle Times, Boeing plans to deploy innovative robotic assembly technology.

"We have a very robust plan to improve overall efficiency of 777 production and will discuss it publicly at the appropriate juncture" the newspaper quoted Boeing spokesman Doug Alder saying.

While the plan details haven't been fully disclosed, it appears that the robots used in 777X production wouldn't be in a fixed location, but would instead move along the assembly line and possibly reduce the use of cranes. Each crane move is a major undertaking, and the current 777 production process uses about 39 crane moves each day. To put that in perspective, the newer 787 Dreamliner assembly line features roughly seven moves per day.