We've been telling you about Boeing's disastrous supply chain convolutions with the 787 Dreamliner for years, and over the past several months it has seemed like they have learned the lesson. The company has even gone so far as to buy the operations of one of their suppliers in South Carolina. Another interesting aspect of that purchase is that the employees of that supplier recently voted to decertify their union, thereby making their operation a very attractive candidate to be Boeing's second major full assembly operation.
The New York Times recently had a piece on Boeing and the pain experienced by outsourcing massive portions of design and subassembly manufacturing.
Boeing acknowledges that the problems have sorely tested the patience of suppliers and customers, and damaged its credibility. Already, 60 orders have been canceled, partly because of the delay.
The company’s chief, W. James McNerney Jr., concedes that Boeing lost control of the process by farming out more design and production work than ever and not keeping close tabs on suppliers. He says the company is retaking control.
But did they really learn a lesson?
Hmmm... that's a little worrisome, depending on how you interpret that statement.
who led the commercial division. He plans to retire at year-end and was
replaced in the division post on Tuesday by Mr. Albaugh. “Clearly, we
made some poor judgment calls in terms of what people’s capabilities
were.”
That's an even more worrisome attitude. "... people's capabilities"? Is Mr. Carson implying that the blame lies with employees at outsourcing suppliers? Unless he really means Boeing executives as the "people" then he's just a tad off base.
As always I continue to wish Boeing the best of luck. I admire companies that take big risks with new technologies, such as what Boeing is doing with carbon fiber components. But a little more appreciation for creating value for the customer and respect for people would be beneficial.