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Boeing Is Revolutionizing Airplane Manufacturing Lean manufacturing enhances value, promotes environmental goals, and helps rationalize financial risk and reward Boeing has worked continuously to build flexibility and resiliency into the airplane production process in order to mitigate the economic risk that arises from uncertainty about the health of the global economy, political instability and, most recently, the threat of terrorism and pandemics. With every generation of new airplanes, Boeing has made great strides in reducing and managing economic risk in the manufacturing process. During the past decade in particular, Boeing has applied developments in information technology, the vastly improved efficiency of the global supply chain, and—most visibly—lean manufacturing principles to develop a revolutionary approach to producing airplanes. The new approach focuses on unprecedented program visibility, transparency, and communication up and down the supply chain to identify risks at their source, where risk management is most effective. Solutions and innovations come from the true experts: design and production engineers, mechanics who build parts and assemble the airplanes, and supplier companies. Lean manufacturing principles have helped Boeing reduce waste that is embedded in manufacturing process. Continuous vigilance for inefficiencies has helped Boeing improve quality all along the assembly line. It has been possible to eliminate entire work groups dedicated to out-of-sequence activities and rework that traditionally operated on the sidelines of the main production flow. Employees from these workgroups have been reassigned to activities that add value to the product. Lean principles also deliver significant environmental advantages. Pollution, after all, is a form of waste. By reducing or eliminating sources of contamination and environmental hazards, lean manufacturing processes are helping Boeing cut the costs of managing potentially harmful materials. Active engagement of employees at all levels in development and implementation of lean processes is key to the company’s commitment to certify all manufacturing facilities to the International Organization for Standardization ISO 14001 environmental guideline by December 2008.
A New Way To Build Airplanes Airplanes are lined up nose to tail for the 737 assembly line and in a u-shaped moving line for the 777. Airplanes move at a slow but steady pace toward completion and the hangar door. "The airplane is a magnet for the work," said Carolyn Corvi, Vice President/General Manager for Airplane Programs. Parts, tools and people come to the precise point along the line where they are needed, at the time when they are needed. "You don’t see the clutter of tool cribs and parts-storage areas that used to ring the static assembly stations," said Corvi. Thanks to this approach, Boeing has been able to reduce the square footage needed for production of current models while reducing the time needed to build each airplane. On the 737 line, enough space was saved to move the engineers and manufacturing-support personnel into an area adjacent to the production line so they can collaborate more closely with the assembly mechanics. In the Everett factory, more efficient use of space allowed Boeing to set up the assembly line for the new 787 Dreamliner without building a new facility. Corvi credits the visual cues built into the new system for much of the improvement. Clearly marked zones along the line indicate where each part and tool should be delivered and staged. It’s plainly visible that the necessary items are present. Colored lights that move with the airplane on its way down the line glow green, yellow or purple (the equivalent of a red light, signaling that the line has stopped) to tell everyone on the floor whether an airplane is progressing down the line according to plan. Clearly visible from all points of the production floor, a giant "score board" gives an overview of how the whole line is functioning.
But the movement of the airplane itself is the most compelling indication of progress, according to Corvi. "If work isn’t completed on time, it doesn’t get put off until later and pass on to the next station. The line stops until the issue is resolved." Lights flash, warnings sound, and word goes out to responsible teams that include the necessary expertise from manufacturing support, facilities, tooling and engineering. Delivery of parts directly to the point of use, ready to install, reduces the risk of parts shortages. This in turn reduces the economic risk inherent in holding large inventories. Provisioning the moving line improves process visibility and facilitates more effective communication with suppliers. This reduces costs that accrue to schedule risk, including the cost of catch-up work that must be completed outside of the normal production order.
Rooting out risk that arises from variability Boeing has forged collaborative relationships with suppliers and customer airlines to reduce the incidence and effects of configuration variability. With the help of customer airlines, we’ve defined standard packages of options to match the requirements of the various airline business models and operating environments. The engineering for these standard packages has already been done, so no new engineering is required and regulatory certification is simpler. Standardization of airplane configuration allows us to standardize our processes, which in turn, reduces the risk of parts shortages, error, and out-of-sequence work on the production line. For suppliers, fewer airplane configurations means more predictable parts orders. Customization is not a one-time cost for airplane owners. Unique configurations must be serviced and maintained. A standard configuration can eliminate unique parts and materials that increase maintenance and training costs and create parts availability risks. For leasing companies and financiers, a more standard product is a more valuable asset. A standard configuration requires the minimum of modifications to transition to a new market or new operator. And, a standard airplane is easier to convert from a passenger to a freighter configuration to gain extra years of profitable service. Revolutionizing the way airplanes are manufactured is already delivering valuable results on our existing product lines. The potential for new designs, starting with the 787 Dreamliner, is inspiring. Innovative approaches to manufacturing that are being proven on the Dreamliner production line will help us reduce uncertainties that are a source of financial risk and compress the time between initial investment and return on investment.
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