Blaming labor oversimplifies: Fancher

Scott Fancher, the head of the Boeing 787 program, told the Charleston (SC) Business Journal that blaming labor for Boeing’s consideration of siting a second 787 production line is over-simplifying the issue. The business paper wrote:

Negotiating in the Media

Certain Members of Congress close to Boeing, and the Governor, told the Seattle papers Boeing essentially issued an ultimatum to the IAM: adopt a no-strike clause or we’ll set up 787 Line 2 in another state. As you… Read More

And now a word on the tanker

Let’s take a diversion from Boeing’s Soap Opera over the 787 Line 2 and will-they-stay-or-will-they-go. CNBC has a long piece plus several video clips with Ralph Crosby, the CEO of EADS North America, on the KC-X tanker issue…. Read More

Four sites considered for 787 Lines 2

Update, July 8: Dominic Gates is back from vacation and has this important insight about the “poker game” now underway between Boeing and the IAM. Gates also has this story about the purchase of the Vought facility with… Read More

Why Boeing needs a second 787 Line Sooner than Later

Boeing needs a second production line for the 787. Some say Boeing needs to get the airplane flying before worrying about a second line. While there certainly is some truth to this, the two decisions aren’t mutually exclusive…. Read More

Boeing buys Vought 787 facilities

Update, 9:10 AM PDT: Innovation Analysis Group has a podcast with Jon Ostrower, who broke the news last week, about the likely purchase of Vought, and us. We look at the prospect of where Line 2 will be… Read More

Random Thoughts, July 6

Here is another in our occasional stream of random thoughts. Bill Virgin and Manufacturing Alert Bill Virgin, a former columnist with The Seattle PI, was zapped when the print edition shut down and it became a web-only publication…. Read More

Too soon to draw conclusions for 2010 funding

Here’s an item we wrote last week for for Commercial Aviation Online: Boeing Capital Corp. (BCC) isn’t worried about global customer funding availability in 2010, but a top official also says it’s too soon to be sanguine. Kostya Zolotusky,… Read More

First report on AF447

This BBC story is a good one on the first French analysis of the crash of Air France 447. Most surprising is that the investigators believe the A330-200 was intact when it hit the water in what sounds… Read More

Customers to watch on production trends

Here is a piece we did for Commercial Aviation Online: The debate continues whether production rates on the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 families should be reduced. Both manufacturers are in a tug-of-war with their supply chain over… Read More