And how could it? I’ve never understood the logic behind these moves. At least outsourcing to a low wage country makes clear where the money will be saved, even if it’s unethical. But spinning out your existing manufacturing facility as its own company only adds a layer of people wanting to be paid, and no cost savings.
6 Likes
So I just learned from this thread that the US makes Airbus build planes in their country. Now I wonder why we don’t reciprocate and make Boeing produce in the EU if they want to sell here. Not that it’s a good time to buy Boeing products, but this is a general problem with the EU not being shameless enough in such disputes.
5 Likes
It’s brilliant management thinking like that which made McDonnell Douglas the company it is today - Boeing.
3 Likes
Historically, the entire purpose of Airbus was to stop Europe being squeezed out of the civilian aviation market as a consequence of bad design decisions (e.g. Mercure), catering to a specific small market (VC-10, Trident…) and previous poorly-finished products (Comet 1, Britannia…); as well as US rules that effectively forbade airlines buying a foreign plane if an American equivalent already existed. So Europe fought tooth and nail to stop Boeing and other manufacturers getting a toe-hold on production inside Europe. Although we have no problem acting as subcontractors, with Alenia of Italy being part of the 787 consortium and Rolls Royce and Safran supplying a good part of Boeing’s engines.
Those with long memories will remember the 1985-86 Westland Affair in the UK where the country’s only helicopter maker was trying to find a buyer. Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative Party split right down the middle over whether it should go to Sikorsky of the US (Thatcher’s preferred solution) or to a European consortium led by Augusta (favoured by her Business secretary and the UK aerospace sector). Part of the reason this became so big was because the major European armed forces wanted a single design across their militaries - and there was no way the French, German and Italian forces would accept UK-assembled, American helicopters that would threaten their own industries.
Forty years on, Westland is now part of the Leonardo group and amongst other things assembles Boeing Apache helicopters. The Conservative Party is still splitting on a daily basis.
6 Likes
Oh most definitely. But, in manufacturing, they usually have multistage quality control systems in place to catch things like this before the product leaves the factory, and defects that slip through the cracks are measured in terms of defects per million units shipped.
6 Likes
I’m sure 5 Minutes Crafts has an easy solution to fix the holes
1 Like
2 Likes
Yes, there needs to be gross margin for that separate company.
The only time it could be cheaper is when the bigger company just can’t get its act together and they think a smaller devoted unit could do it better.
In my business (M&A), I get hired to acquire manufacturing facilities…to capture that margin that is going to the supplier.
4 Likes
Have you tried cigarette ash and superglue!? 
1 Like
For Boeing, it’s profit-over-safety. Here’s Boeing’s work on fixing “stuff” that “happens quite often”:
And the root cause of Boeing’s shoddy engineering and manufacturing?
6 Likes
… and “square-with-the-world” and edges properly finished.
2 Likes
6 Likes
It’s the Colin Chapman school of engineering (Lotus Cars founder) - “Simplify, then add lightness.”
4 Likes
Don’t mind me. I’ll just be here over in the corner reliving my statistical quality control and production design class material.
Yes, mistakes get made in manufacturing all the time. That’s why you have a quality program to prevent them getting out the door. The public seeing any of this is a massive organizational failure.
9 Likes
Miss Drilled Holes is available as a Drag name. Or Roller Derby.
2 Likes
And Blow Out Doris?
2 Likes
1 Like
apparently they’ve been having “paint adhesion” problems?
As per the spokesperson, the adhesive substance is utilized to prevent paint from peeling, rather than being employed in a makeshift manner to hold together an unstable aircraft
the cracked cockpit glass they mentioned sounded more concerning. i hadn’t heard about that one…
A domestic flight operated by Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA) returned to its departure airport on Saturday after a crack was found in a window in the cockpit of the Boeing 737-800 plane, the airline said Monday.
The crack was discovered about 40 minutes after take-off in the “second window from the right out of six windows in the cockpit,” ANA said. All 65 passengers and crew of the ANA flight 1182 arrived back safely, it added.
1 Like
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
