Subscription Required

Introduction

May 12, 2016, © Leeham Co.: Boeing executives faced skeptical aerospace analysts at its annual investors day yesterday in Seattle.

Presentations by Dennis Muilenburg, CEO of The Boeing Co., Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, CFO Greg Smith, Ray Conner, CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, and Leanne Caret, CEO of Boeing’s defense unit, didn’t appear to have any immediate impact on the stock price for those listening in on the webcast. Stock was flat during the day. Notes from the analysts attending in person won’t be issued for a day or two.

We met with seven analysts on Tuesday, before and after their tour of the Everett (WA) wide-body plant facility to gauge their points of interest going into the investors day yesterday. We also talked with some of them on Wednesday after the presentations.

Summary

• Skepticism was high over how Boeing believes it can recover the $29bn in deferred production costs on the 787 program. CFO Smith addressed this during his Wednesday presentation.
• Boeing finally conceded the 777 Classic production rate will come down, to 5.5/mo by 2018. Officials initially claimed the rate would remain at 8.3/mo to the entry-into-service of the 777X, later lowering to 7/mo from next year.
• There is a belief that Boeing’s product strategy is now on the defensive to Airbus. BCA CEO Conner believes otherwise.