for November 5, 2007
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Hot Topic: "Working Together" - Not!
Jinglesm
(Yea, we made it up!) is, and has been, one of the most distasteful parts of
our corporate work experience. Downward driven corporate slogans seem to
creep in when upper management oversimplifies the task at hand. There is a
message here and it looks like Boeing has been tripped once again by it's
own petard. After the last six-month delay, it looks as if the plastic,
fantastic, flyer will not carry paying passengers till at least the end of
next year. Not lost on us was the recent speech given by Mike Bair, the
then, B787 Program Manager. In a quoted interview, he said about the
announcement of the program slide and addressing the subcontractor issue
said, "They just didn't do what we thought they could do," Bair noted. "Who
knows why?"
Who knows, indeed! If Mr. Bair did not, who did? While Mr. Bair's answer seems overly aloof it just seems natural that if your have dispersed operations, Program Management and Material site inspectors and engineers would be a very big part (and cost) of the program, at least initially. Since there appeared to be little flapping at Boeing we assume these groups were beefed up too late. One wonders if Boeing was in the loop on problem areas early on? Outside the Renton, WA gates, very little leaked as to the real problems subs were having... and this is unusual. Stuff like rivet delivery problems seemed to be the biggest issue. In fact, company spokespeople were upbeat. It was probably wise that a Boeing PR person wished Airbus well with their A380 troubles because, as he or she said, "It could happen to us". One pundit we talked to said we should have picked up on the problems when in the last couple of years or so when Material was renamed to Global Solutions. He opined, "You know you are in deep yogurt when your Purchasing group suddenly becomes 'Global Solutions' or some fancy name like that..."
In the same speech Bair also said, "The right way to do this would be to have all those big parts across the street so you could just roll them in" to a single manufacturing site, Bair said. "We'll see on the next airplane programs whether we can accomplish something like that." Hey, wasn't that pretty much what the Red Barn was about? Build them all in one place so you control the process. And the dollar has to be a real disappointment to Boeing too. As a seller they are in a good place but as a buyer don't the scales turn the other way? Perhaps the risk sharing partner contributions and the penalties for late deliveries will shield Boeing from bigger losses but the rotund diva has not delivered the last B787 aria, at least not yet! Stay Tuned!
- http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/337793_boeing02.html
- http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingaerospace/2003988999_boeing02.html
- http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingaerospace/2003986894_bair01.html
- http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?ContentBlockID=64cf5de6-c22a-4ba5-8fdd-ab34e562b9fc
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Panasonic Introduces Closed
Captioning and Subtitle Functionality for In-flight Entertainment Systems
11/5/2007 8:37:34 PM
Panasonic Avionics Selected by
Singapore Airlines for Airbus A380
11/5/2007 8:36:08 PM
Boeing, LAN Airlines Complete
Deal for 32 787s and Four 777 Freighters
11/5/2007 8:29:35 PM
Boeing Delivers 150th
Next-Generation 737-800 to Ryanair
11/5/2007 8:29:03 PM
FAA Announces ODA for Chelton
Flight Systems
11/5/2007 8:27:42 PM
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Boeing
should think global, act local
Flight Global
The Airbus
A380, 'flying villages' and the future of flight
International Herald Tribune
Rockwell
doesn't see aisle-to-aisle in IFE market
Flight Global
Panasonic,
Thales battle it out in Indian skies
The Economic Times
At Cruising
Altitude, With Attitude
CBS News
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1/22/2008 - 1/23/2008
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4/1/2008 - 4/3/2008
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5/20/2008 - 5/22/2008
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9/9/2008 - 9/11/2008
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