oops https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/20/boeings-starliner-flies-into-wrong-orbit-jeopardizing-trip-to-the-international-space-station.html apparently software issues With the SpaceX pad failure and now this, US will continue to rely on the Russians for ISS access for the time being.
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2020/01/14/Boeing-had-more-cancellations-than-new-orders-in-2019/9981579030186/?sl=2
There is a lot of airline industry discussion over market weakness with orders for all the wide bodies - Boeing and Airbus. Watch for decreasing production rates for all, including the 787. Too much of the wide body orders are with airlines that may be re-evaluating their fleet plans so those orders could be cancelled, deferred or changed to smaller models. Multiple issues coming together and, for Boeing, the trade war with China that has put a hold on orders that may or may not eventually become theirs. As for a large block of Boeing's cancellations, that the airline in India went bankrupt isn't their fault. There are concerns about others in Europe going under or as part of a reorganization any orders cancelling.
Remember "If it ain't Boeing, I ain't going"? May have to rethink that viewpoint. A pretty good review of the problems Boeing has created for itself. Quite damning. Worth the read....... https://medium.com/swlh/boeings-culture-crash-c1500d2db9a I think the article will open; this is part one of three. You may have to suscribe to read 2 & 3
This article is right on, having lived through the infusion of GE into an engineering company. RONA and the Japanese business model of “Just in Time” started the demise of an engineering company. “ Just in Time” made the suppliers carry all the assets which worked great for a car company like Toyota...not so well for producing launch vehicles. Also, it looks like as a result, Boeing also turned over more engineering to the suppliers with very little oversight of Boeing engineers.
You do not have to subscribe to read the other two parts of the article....just click on the X in the upper right corner of the box asking you to subscribe.
737 line shut down for now. 400 planes built but not delivered and the ex CEO walked away with $60 million for getting fired. This is what happens when you put incompetent criminals in charge of things.
I dont think anyone on the board is any better. The enw CEO came from the board and is a finance MBA ex Ge aluim. So far the cost of the Max debacle is $ 20billion and counting. Thats before we factor in any reputational and future buisness cost. Add to that $20 Billion figure whatever they spent to develop the max and its pretty clear Boeing could have developed a whole new aircraft or two.
That article is scary, just from a business side of things. The finance guys took over and overran the engineering guys and the results are what we see today. A company that is getting close to the edge. At this point Boeing is on its way to becoming the airline equivalent of GE, not GE engines, just GE. The board needs to be reshuffled, reduce the people who have non-engineering backgrounds and replace them with people who do have engineering backgrounds and engineering ways of thinking, including: Nikki R. Haley Lawrence W. Kellner Caroline B. Kennedy Edward M. Liddy Ronald A. Williams Mike S. Zafirovski Boeing has to become product focused again. -F
Even a blind pig (me) can find truffles if the conditions are right. The Board has to be reshuffled. Change must start at the top and then work its way down the organizational tree. -F
Many (most?) of those people are there to 'facilitate' relations with governmental agencies. A real issue....
Is there a single person on that board with direct manufacturing experience? Ever? In their lifetime? Is that asking too much? One?
None that I know of. I'm not aware of any in the administration but I haven't had the chance to dig around.
Boeing has some quality control issues with their Starliner software development. The safest option would be to do another non-manned test run. It will be interesting to see if that's the way they and NASA go. -F
Sounds like the Detroit Big 3 in the mid 70's. Lots of MBA's and bean counters. No engineers or car people.
