In the original NY Times article (nytimes.com/2020/01/05/business/boeing-737-max.html), there is another pretty remarkable statement that Reuters didn't include:
"Boeing also recently told the F.A.A. that it had discovered a manufacturing problem that left the plane’s engines vulnerable to a lightning strike.
While assembling the Max, workers at Boeing’s Renton, Wash., factory had ground down the outer shell of a panel that sits atop the engine housing in an effort to ensure a better fit into the plane. In doing so, they inadvertently removed the coating that insulates the panel from a lightning strike, taking away a crucial protection for the fuel tank and fuel lines. "
Can anyone explain exactly what this really means? Have they been using manual powertools to grind down components that doesn't fit during final assembly?