Snap-On Parts Didn’t Click Together for Boeing Jet

Manufacturing electronic products by assembling specialized parts from multiple suppliers has increased productivity and reduced costs in recent years. But the assembly method that relies on outsourcing for parts can be complicated to reverse. Behind schedule and hoping to speed its process, Boeing asked suppliers to send unassembled sections. “Instead, Boeing has ended up with a pile of parts and wires, and lots of questions about how they all fit together,” report Jeff Bailey and Nicola Clark for the New York Times. The mix-up has forced Boeing to delay test flights and delivery of 800 planes. “Determining the sequence of putting parts together has been a huge source of delays,” explain Bailey and Clark. “Boeing, anticipating that suppliers would be doing the work, did not engage in the long, detailed engineering planning required to put tasks in order.” Demand for air travel has increased since 2004, increasing orders for new planes and competition between US-based Boeing based and Airbus in Europe. – YaleGlobal