Whats Causing Huge Delays for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner?
Design News September 15, 2009 Two years ago, Pat Russell, director of global supply at Vought Aircraft, made this comment about the bold global outsourcing program in place for the Dreamliner 787: “What Boeing is trying to do will really set the standard for how you reduce time to market, from design to implementation.” This summer Boeing announced it is buying the key Vought assembly plant in South Carolina in an effort to reel in that supply chain. Supply chain and design problems have contributed to a two-year delayso far. The Dreamliner roared on to the scene as one of the most revolutionary concepts evera composite-bodied aircraft that would dramatically change the economics of air travel. As if the engineering challenges weren’t daunting enough, Boeing also made the decision to outsource 60% of the design and production, a move maybe just as radical as the aluminum-to-plastic switch for the fuselage and wings. Boeing contracted with more than 50 suppliers, 28 of them outside the
