Boeing moving HQ from Chicago to Virginia

Gimme me a break. Back in 1997 they moved their HQ out of Seattle to the present place I forgot the name. And now they are moving again ? Even further from Seattle ?
 
They just want to be closer to Airbus' headquarters, to compete more aggresively.
 
Why fly the CEO, COO, etc., from Chicago to rub elbows with the money people when they could be having dinner with them on a regular basis. Boeing has to be feeling that their defense sector is at risk in a few years. Other than T-7A, F-15EX, AH-64 "W model" and the CH-47 "ZZ model" (neither helo is big money compared to other programs), it is getting dicey in a few years. Given their commercial sector is also in shambles, consolidation should be anticipated.
 
Silencer1 said:
They just want to be closer to Airbus' headquarters, to compete more aggresively.
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You assume that they're competing. The last decade or two has looked more like a slow walk to turning the airliner market over to Airbus. The next headquarters move should probably be completely across from the Atlantic so they can take their seats on the Airbus board.

I'd rather Musk had bought Boeing than Twitter. If he had done so, and had dumped the entire upper management and restored Boeing to being an engineering company, just *imagine* what SpaceX-Boeing could achieve. Dispense with SLS, go straight to Starship Mark IV and begin the terraforming of Ganymede.
 
Orionblamblam said:
I'd rather Musk had bought Boeing than Twitter. If he had done so, and had dumped the entire upper management and restored Boeing to being an engineering company, just *imagine* what SpaceX-Boeing could achieve. Dispense with SLS, go straight to Starship Mark IV and begin the terraforming of Ganymede.
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Unfrotunately, rebuilding the Boeing into anything Musk could work with would took far too many Musk efforts. Not to mention the sheer amount of lobbysts he would be forced to buy.
 
The farther that management moves from the production line, the less relevant their decisions.
This reminds me of a conversation with an airline captain who retired circa 2000. He related a conference wherein airline accountants stated that they could suffer two complete hull losses per year before it affected the airline's bottom line. Pilots, dispatchers, marketeers, maintainers, etc. were stunned!
 
Dilandu said:
Orionblamblam said:
I'd rather Musk had bought Boeing than Twitter. If he had done so, and had dumped the entire upper management and restored Boeing to being an engineering company, just *imagine* what SpaceX-Boeing could achieve. Dispense with SLS, go straight to Starship Mark IV and begin the terraforming of Ganymede.
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Unfrotunately, rebuilding the Boeing into anything Musk could work with would took far too many Musk efforts. Not to mention the sheer amount of lobbysts he would be forced to buy.
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If Musk had access to Boeings manufacturing and testing capability, he could say "to hell with lobbyists." The economic benefit of having Starfleet Headquarters in Seattle would be too tempting even for those genetic defectives in Congress to miss out on.

Boeing infrastructure with SpaceX culture?

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXsQAXx_ao0
 
@Orionblamblam - You assume Mr. Musk would want to put his shiny and efficient 21st Century engineering firm into the 20th Century bureaucratic swamp that is Boeing.
 
yasotay said:
@Orionblamblam - You assume Mr. Musk would want to put his shiny and efficient 21st Century engineering firm into the 20th Century bureaucratic swamp that is Boeing.
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Nope. That's why one of the very first things I said was: "and had dumped the entire upper management and restored Boeing to being an engineering company..." Buying Boeing as-is would be insanity. Buying it out in order to clean it out would be heroic, on the scale of a Patton or a Lincoln or whoever finally gets rid of the schmucks who've turned Star Trek into a bad joke.

There is heroism to be had, people.
 
Orionblamblam said:
yasotay said:
@Orionblamblam - You assume Mr. Musk would want to put his shiny and efficient 21st Century engineering firm into the 20th Century bureaucratic swamp that is Boeing.
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Nope. That's why one of the very first things I said was: "and had dumped the entire upper management and restored Boeing to being an engineering company..." Buying Boeing as-is would be insanity. Buying it out in order to clean it out would be heroic, on the scale of a Patton or a Lincoln or whoever finally gets rid of the schmucks who've turned Star Trek into a bad joke.

There is heroism to be had, people.
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That would have to be done by taking the company private and dumping many of the investors as well. Then the feds get involved. Years of court battle to be had.

There are as many noble, heroic efforts on the floor of history as gloriously done.

I would be there cheering along right there with you to see someone straighten out Boeing, but I think Mr. Musk to pragmatic to get in that battle.
 
yasotay said:
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I would be there cheering along right there with you to see someone straighten out Boeing, but I think Mr. Musk to pragmatic to get in that battle.
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Many descriptors fit Musk, but what with Twitter and the Boring Company and hyperloop... "pragmatic" doesn't seem particularly applicable. If he had the funds to buy Boeing, and if he thought he could have fun tweaking noses by doing so, I bet he'd give it serious consideration.
 
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Dilandu said:
Orionblamblam said:
he could say "to hell with lobbyists.
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Without buying Boeing lobbysts first, any attempt to buy Boeing may be quite easily blocked "for national security reasons".
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Undoubtedly true. But at some point Boeing will probably want to divest itself of such extraneous and irrelevant facilities as "factories" since those don't help them make money. What do you need to pay for the upkeep of a factory for when you're whole business model revolves around getting government contracts but not actually producing anything? Better to have something like SpaceX buying them than either letting them rot or turning them over to the Chinese.
 
Is this thread going anywhere other than just being a opportunity for people to rant about Boeing?
 
GTX said:
Is this thread going anywhere other than just being a opportunity for people to rant about Boeing?
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Doesn't appear to be. But then, that's fine... nobody is *arguing.* We're all getting along just fine, recognizing the situation for what it is and dreaming of a better future.
 
I have mixed feelings about Boeing. I grew up in the Golden age of jet aviation with Lockheed and MDD as American jet liner producers. Now we're down to just Boeing.... So there's some patriotic feelings i have. But seeing how corrupt they've behaved and how they screw up things.... This move by Boeing is pure politics just like their EX. Boeing is turning out to be a jobs program. They haven't, Boeing, done a combat aircraft of their own in many many decades. They're living on on the coattails of MDD.
 
We are not ranting, we all hope Boeing does turn things around. In regards to Boeing's on going problems, I get my info from friends and colleagues with 20 to 30 years at Boeing with a few retiring early, not fun anymore. Boeing moving to Arlington is the same as NGC moving to Falls Church, it is political being closer to DC.
 
GTX said:
Hydroman said:
Boeing moving to Arlington is the same as NGC moving to Falls Church, it is political being closer to DC.
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Well duh!
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It probably does signal an intent to focus more on defense work. If they were interested in strengthening their airline ties, they'd have stayed in Chicago (where United is based) or gone to Texas (where American and Southwest are). Moving to DC means the corporate bosses want to be closer to the Pentagon, primarily. (The talk of bringing not just the management HQ but also R&D activities clinches that idea for me. If it was just about lobbying, they wouldn't move the research people.)
 
"Just keep the Senator's martini topped off sweetie'-we'll spot him a mulligan, you laugh at his jokes-and Fang there will take care the rest-long-time-Zippo-lighter? Never mind."
 

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