Boeing is open to more deals like its recent purchase of half of problem-plagued 787 supplier Global Aeronautica
"We're going to look at things that strengthen the program," CEO Jim McNerney said. "If we have to do something like that somewhere else, we'll consider it."
McNerney spoke to a handful of us reporter types in the back hallway of Seattle's Westin Hotel this afternoon, as uniformed waiters rushed past with trays of grilled chicken breasts to feed Western Washington University boosters, who had just heard McNerney talk about corporate leadership.
McNerney said Boeing bought out Vought Aircraft Industries' half of Carolina-based Global, thinking that "the move would relieve Vought of some of the pressure." Without the strain of running the pre-assembly plant -- where electronics, wiring and insulation are stuffed into large sections of the 787 -- Vought should be better-able to meet its contract commitments for the various Dreamliner parts its manufacturing.
McNerney said he supports the general strategy that saw Boeing outsource an unprecedented amount of 787 manufacturing work. But, "we may have drawn the line in the wrong place," he said.
"The supply chain was a very aggressive move by us," he said. "In a couple cases, we gave our partners more work than they could handle."
On Boeing's next new jet program, look for "a different blend of inside and outside" work, McNerney said.
Boeing's next new jet, analysts say, is likely to be a replacement for its top-selling 737 jet, which will borrow heavily from the technology developed for the 787, including its carbon-fiber body. However, another school of thought holds that Boeing will use the same technology to develop a replacement for its market-leading 777, which is under pressure from the new Airbus A350-1000 model.
In either case, Boeing's not likely to move toward a 737 or 777 replacement until 2012 or later, analysts say.
In the near term, McNerney downplayed recent suggestions by leading 787 buyer Steven Udvar-Hazy, who said the short-range 787-3 model is too heavy and will have to be seriously redesigned before it will capture any orders outside of Japan. Boeing has sold more than 800 Dreamliners, but only 43 of those are the short-range Dash 3s. All are going to either All Nippon Airways or Japan Airlines.
Boeing has pushed back the timeline on the Dash 3, McNerney said, and as the company works to bring the 787-8 and 787-9 models to market, "there'll be some things we learn that'll undoubtedly make the Dash 3 better," he said.
Finally, in spite of all the problems with its Charleston, S.C., suppliers, McNerney didn't rule out sending more work in the future to the Global Aeronautica and Alenia factories there.
"That site will be a good site," McNerney said -- after a very painful learning process.
