While there is lots of understandable attention on the in-development Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the Next-Generation 737 (yes, that’s what the one’s being built right now are officially called) deserves a note of attention.

Although the Next-Gen planes have been built for the past 12 years, starting in 1997, it is worth noting that during this period of time the people in Renton, Washington, have manufactured and delivered 3,133 units.

What’s notable is that it took 32 years to produce that many of the previous-generation 737.

Employees have gotten to the point where they are able to produce a 737 in just 10 days, compared with the 22 days once required. They are manufacturing 31 aircraft a month.

The improvements in throughput are attributed to “relentless employee and supplier focus on efficiency.”

Speaking of efficiency, the 737s are said to be lighter, consume less fuel, release fewer emissions, and are more economical to operate and maintain—all good things, to put it mildly.

According to a Boeing statement: “Airplanes delivered between September 2008 and September 2009 had so few technical issues that passengers left the airport gate 99.8 percent of the time.”

Presumably that metric is based on the readiness of the aircraft, not of the various airlines and airports, which seem to have less in the way of high-reliability or timeliness ratings.