Boeing Goes on Hiring Spree in High-Stakes Gamble on 737 Max

  • Planemaker adds machinists in anticipation of factory restart
  • Company risks new cost pressures as jet’s grounding drags on
Photographer: David Ryder/Bloomberg
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In the weeks before Boeing Co. halted 737 Max production in January, company executives took a hard look at all the personnel who’d be left with little to do when the last jets rolled out of their Seattle-area factory.

The conclusion they came to, though, was surprising: The problem wasn’t that there’d be too many mechanics idly milling around for months on end, but rather too few of them.