Boeing agreed to pay a fine of $243.6 million as part of its plea agreement and admitted it defrauded the Federal Aviation Administration when seeking permission for the troubled 737 Max plane to carry passengers. The plea deal is subject to approval of a federal judge.
[...]
However, one additional condition detailed in a new filing on Wednesday is that Boeing’s board of directors will have to hold a meeting with victim families and their legal representatives within four months of the sentencing date.
Boeing will also have to invest at least $455 million into its compliance, quality and safety programs, the agreement states.
All -View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_kKD6g53AA
Model of Boeing 737 MAX 8 on display at Dubai Air Show 2011.
Artist's impressions of Boeing 737 MAX 7, 8, and 9.
Source:
Updated: Boeing Launches the 737 MAX -7, -8, and -9 New Engine Family of Aircraft - Bangalore Aviation
Earlier this morning, the board of Boeing officially approved the launch of a new engine variant ofwww.bangaloreaviation.comSe hace oficial el lanzamiento del B737 MAX
Boeing OKs upgrades of 737 engines BY MOLLY McMILLIN The Wichita Eagle Boeing on Tuesday officially launched a program to upgrade its 737 airliners with new, more fuel-efficient engines to be called the 737 MAX. Boeing's board of directors gave the program a green light at meetings...www.fsmex.com
This should be official testimony. Alle Achtung und Respekt fuer das ehrliche Zeugnis.All -
The core problem with Boeing making "rate" on B737 series production is the rate.
Share holders and Board members valued profitability above quality and safety.
Senior management communicated the constant drum beat of making monthly production
quotas down through subsequent lower management levels, with first level supervision feeling obliged to " ride " shop floor personel; frequently to an excessive degree.
The same unrelenting demand from Boeing to make " rate " was impressed upon Tier One parts supplier Spirit Aerosystems, who itself was little more than " Boeing Midwest " in locations like Wichita KS, and Tulsa OK.
I worked at Spirit Tulsa for 10+yr, on the G-650, B737; and B777 components lines.
I faced more stress there than I did working on fighter jets for the Air National Guard for 37 years.... and that includes my OEF/OIF deployments to Iraq.
No matter how many of your production team were absent....the team was expected to
make its daily rate. No matter how extensive sub-component parts shortages were, or how long the shortage lasted.....the team was expected to make its daily rate. No credit was given for exceeding the rate for the day, and as a result.. the teams could not get ahead of the rate....or otherwise offset one day's rate shortage by over-producing the next shift.
Spirit Tulsa was not required by regulation or by "regulators" to have tool control measures in-place for all aircraft component work areas....only for " close out " areas of certain structures which might not be opened or accessed once the structural area has been "closed out".
I was bounced between programs by five different Supervisors, because my " personal warrantee " ( personal quality standards ) were viewed as inconvenient and excessive.
I probably didn't make rate daily for 95% of my time @ Spirit. Supervision did not care
at all that my " first round pass " rate on QA inspections of my work was 99%.
" Macht nichts ".
All " they " wanted was " OTD ".... the " FOB " shipments to go " out the door " on time.
In such aerospace production environments, " parts go out the door.... while quality goes out the window ". The results and consequences of Boeing's excessive pressuring of suppliers has ultimately been revealed.
Boeing buying back Spirit Wichita and Spirit Tulsa will itself not fix the systemic problems.
Even today, Boeing presses hard towards a rate goal of 38 B-737/P-8 monthly. Yet, it is both unknown and unproven just how many conforming 737s Boeing can successfully produce monthly ( certainly right up front ). Operating under a level of quality the FAA
will dictate, Boeing will be brought dragging and screaming to " some " rate of production to start with. However.... Boeing skewering the number @ 38 right out of the gate... strongly suggests they have not fully grasped yet; the seriousness of their corporate position and responsibilities to both the flying public... and to their employees.
With regards,
357Mag
Very disturbing reading, explains much. Thank you for posting.The core problem with Boeing making "rate" on B737 series production is the rate.
<snip>
Is that just commercial side, or overall?The massive half year loss and continual bleeding of cash is worrying. Supposedly the only division of Boeing that is actually profitable at the moment is commercial airliner maintenance services.
All -Is that just commercial side, or overall?
I would have expected BMAC to be doing alright. But Boeing Commercial and Boeing Space are definitely bleeding money at arterial spray.
Oh, Boing is Effed.Few tidbits from the two day NTSB door plug failure hearing which has mostly been reviewing the taped/written witness interviews and statements.
* The Boeing and Spirit employees at the factory were at odds, one Spirit employee said they were treated like the Cockroaches of the factory (by Boeing staff).
* Theyve still not been able to identify who actually removed the plug doors and Boeing now accepts paperwork for the job wasnt just lost, it never existed.
Or their union lawyer talked to them.* One Boeing employee said they were given no extra training to remove door plugs versus doors and the plugs and doors were being removed for faults more often than he changed his underwear.
* Multiple Boeing employees said they were being overworked, not given enough time to complete jobs.
* The manager of the door plug team is still on medical leave and still hasnt been interviewed by the NTSB six months after they first requested to speak with them.
* NTSB suspects collusion by the fitters/Boeing as all 25 members of the fitting team when questioned used the exact same phrase "I have no knowledge", the exact same phrasing.
A 35-year veteran on the door team told NTSB investigators that he is "the only one that can work on all the doors" and he was typically the only mechanic who would work on door plugs.
That mechanic was on vacation on the two critical days, Sept. 18 and 19 last year, when the door plug on the Alaska MAX 9 had to be opened and closed.
All -Goddamnit Boeing.
Seattle Times report on what led to the door plug blowout
Apparently the one person who knew about door plugs was on vacation.
Outsourcing until only one guy knows how to do a thing, and then not asking Spirit when he's on vacation, but just winging it.
A single point of failure. What happens when that guy dies?
All -Goddamnit Boeing.
Seattle Times report on what led to the door plug blowout
Apparently the one person who knew about door plugs was on vacation.
Outsourcing until only one guy knows how to do a thing, and then not asking Spirit when he's on vacation, but just winging it.
A single point of failure. What happens w
hen that guy dies?
Objection! Assumes facts not in evidence!All -
Boeing failed to have an adequate number of assets present, to cover the required work during any shift. They also by extension, failed to provide necessary training to all personel that would have thereby been tasked if selected; to perform the work. In other words, they failed to create more comparably trained adjuncts to the " door team ".
There was no team.
IMHO -
The purportedly well-qualified, experienced mechanic bears some responsibility in the debacle; too. It is hard to imagine that such an individual would believe his highly refined... sub-specialization of a select set of tasks would not eventually lead to a critical abscence for Boeing at some point during his service as the door / door plug guru. He created and then perpetuated a fiefdom, with the ongoing at least tacit approval of Supervision and Management.
More to the point: not only did Supervision and Management fail to provide an
adequately trained number of workers for these tasks, they failed to direct the experienced Technician to conduct the important cross-training the with additional workers.
For his part, the senior worker failed to see/recognize the training needs, and insure crucial training took place with multiple people...of his own volition. Or worse, he was fully aware; and remained constant in his beliefs and convictions; and perpetuated the sole-source approach year after year. As a minimum, this makes one of wonder if all of his work was
Scott -Objection! Assumes facts not in evidence!
You're assuming that the Senior Worker was not pestering his bosses about getting someone else up to standards to be able to take over when Senior Worker is not available (whether on vacation, retired, or injured/dead from an accident). Trust me, Senior Worker wants to be able to take vacation days, especially if they're use-or-lose!
I have seen FAR too many companies/manglement not caring that they are setting up a single-point failure over "that one dude who knows everything." Hell, even Amazon seems to still run on that model...
Hmm...I'm forgetting something...did I turn off the stove?.....yes....Apparently the one person who knew about door plugs was on vacation.
Agreed.Scott -
Howdy !
Hey... I'm " frequently wrong, but...never in doubt " !
I don't believe you have taken me to task over the facts, as-much-as for the conclusions I've drawn ?
What I tried to articulate was:
Neither Boeing factory floor leadership nor 2nd and 3rd level managers put sufficient numbers of adequately trained / qualified workers in-place to prevent the door plug from being re-installed improperly... in the Senior Worker's absence. That's an established fact.
Training takes time away from production activities. If manglement won't budge on the delivery rate to train a backup Door Dude, you can't train the backup.Even devoid of proper direction and guidance on work team composition & training, the Senior Worker could have invested time in bringing at least a few other co-workers up-to-speed on door/ door plug removal/install info...on things like: proper tools, pertinent tech data, test equipment, parts, consumables, proper documentation; and certainly HANDS ON " On-the-job-Training ". He could have done this on his own initiative. I have no specific knowledge that the Senior Worker agitated, campaigned for, cajoled, or otherwise tried to get Supervision / Management off " top dead center " on these collective issues. If it is revealed that he did do so, I'd be happy...more than happy...to recant.
From what I've read, the Senior Worker did not train others who could as minimum, work in his absence. This was factual information coming from a reliable source, otherwise.... people like investigators, interviewers; or by extension the FAA and Hearing Committee members were given non-factual information. And for that matter, us too.
Again, you're assuming that Senior Mechanic was given time off the production floor to train a backup.Going forward:
Management will communicate approved manufacturing process corrective actions down the chain to workers on the floor ( who doubtless identified all these in the first place ).
I'd be surprised if these actions did not include refinements being made to the "Door Team".
Things like number of workers assigned, their qualifications and experience level.
As regards " qualification ", there will likely be a certain level of qualification training taking place... " Know & Show ". Special certification to be cleared to perform these tasks, should at least be considered.
As regards training:
Training items listed above would ideally be taught and overseen by a person(s) that
possesses the requisite knowledge. Moreover, this " Master Trainer " would also need to
train additional " Trainers ". IF the Senior Mechanic didn't perform in this capacity previously, he most likely WILL soon; if not already doing so @ Management's behest.
Annual refresher training on door /door plug tasks should also be considered.
That the Senior Mechanic didn't " see the need " and step off on at least some of this vital training on his own, nearly beggars belief.
Howdy, again. I'm not sure how you do a " quote ", but will try here...Scott -
Training takes time away from production activities. If manglement won't budge on the delivery rate to train a backup Door Dude, you can't train the backup.
The response simply cannot be " production rate pressure prevented training from taking place ". Or...." We didn't / don't have time to train ". Let's all say it...ON-THE-JOB training.357Mag - Boeing ( and Spirit Aero ) management previously maintained mindless adherence to a fixed production " rate " and pressed too hard on rate increases that they unrealistically expected to keep rising on a sustainable level . This is exactly what drove production realities to what is seen today. Training takes time, HOWEVER...OJT needs to be performed CONCURRENT with production, as there are no practical alternative methods to do it. It's not all or nothing...production or training. BOTH must take place on the actual hardware. Boeing failed to grasp that in the past, as regards the door/door plug team's lack of depth. The light should have already come on for Boeing by now, as they work on corrective actions to the identified problems. And again, the Senior Worker would have been present on the fuselages at the same time other workers were also there...repeatedly ...over shifts,workdays, work weeks, months; and even years. All the necessary elements for OJT were present when he was present on the hardware yet, the Senior Worker couldn't find any time to capitalize on " teachable moments " ?! That's why the former burger flipper who was pretty new to his Boeing job was not able to successfully re-install the door plug... not enough/adequate training.
" Experience is the ability to recognize mistakes, when you make them again ! "Again, you're assuming that Senior Mechanic was given time off the production floor to train a backup.
357Mag - No, that's no what I said at all. He was not given the time to do it, and we DK if he even agitated for it, how often; or for how long. I'm saying that even without a management blessing or directive to perform OJT, the Senior Mechanic should have taken action on his own. He had the knowledge, and other production team members were present with him on the hardware...time and again. If in the past he would have been criticized by leadership/management for conducting OJT, I should think those days are O-ver; N'est-ce Pas?
It still means that you have at least one fewer body working on the line while training occurs, because Senior Dude and Trainee are both doing the same tasks.The response simply cannot be " production rate pressure prevented training from taking place ". Or...." We didn't / don't have time to train ". Let's all say it...ON-THE-JOB training.
They should look it up in their Funk & Wagnalls.
357Mag - Training concurrent with production = some production takes place, also." It still means that you have at least one fewer body working on the line while training occurs..."
357Mag - I understand this statement as reflecting the mindset of Boeing and Spirit Aero, leading up to B737Max incidents. However, in today's current realities, Boeing is nowhere close to being able to predict let alone skewer a production" rate ". They'll have to first demonstrate the ability to produce & deliver conforming subassemblies and aircraft at some lower rate...and then grow the process from there." ....But the delivery timelines could not be slipped...."
I dearly wish Monty Python had at some point done a skit on inept aerospace company management (perhaps too specific? But Upper Class Twit of the Year would perhaps be the closest approximation), but the Romans, whatever god(s) bless(ed) their little pagan hearts, had, as for oh so many occasions, a short quip for this particular instance as well - festina lente.Scott -
Howdy !
357Mag - Training concurrent with production = some production takes place, also.
Train five people at a time.....10. How important is training to Boeing, and how high a priority will it be given ?
357Mag - I understand this statement as reflecting the mindset of Boeing and Spirit Aero, leading up to B737Max incidents. However, in today's current realities, Boeing is nowhere close to being able to predict let alone skewer a production" rate ". They'll have to first demonstrate the ability to produce & deliver conforming subassemblies and aircraft at some lower rate...and then grow the process from there.
Beyond that, the new Boeing will have to have the fortitude to accept relaxed production rates....missed " rate " goals....and even, to pull the " all stop " cord when necessary.
Catching Airbus ? Fegetabadit.
With regards,
357Mag
Oh noes, cheating in professional sports - whatever is this world coming to??? I for one am shocked, shocked, I tell you!!! But I feel we digress...Festina affair - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Based on how they got themselves into this position? Training is utterly unimportant, all executive compensation appears to be based on number of airframes completed.Training concurrent with production = some production takes place, also.
Train five people at a time.....10. How important is training to Boeing, and how high a priority will it be given ?
Correct.I understand this statement as reflecting the mindset of Boeing and Spirit Aero, leading up to B737Max incidents. However, in today's current realities, Boeing is nowhere close to being able to predict let alone skewer a production" rate ". They'll have to first demonstrate the ability to produce & deliver conforming subassemblies and aircraft at some lower rate...and then grow the process from there.
Beyond that, the new Boeing will have to have the fortitude to accept relaxed production rates....missed " rate " goals....and even, to pull the " all stop " cord when necessary.
In interviews with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), a Boeing mechanic told investigators that they were on vacation while the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9’s door plug was being repaired at the assembly line in Renton, Washington. The mechanic also told the NTSB that they were the only one who was able to work on all doors on the 737 MAX 9.
NM -In regards to the Alaska Airlines 737MAX plug door blowout here's an interesting short video in regards to the vacationing mechanic: