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By Bryan Corliss

March 20, 2023, © Leeham News – In a filing with federal regulators, The Boeing Co. acknowledges it struggled to stabilize 737 MAX production rates at 31 a month last year.

However, the company is sticking to that and expects a “gradual” increase in 737 rates this year – dependent upon the ability of key suppliers to keep up.

Those are some of the takeaways from Boeing’s annual report, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission earlier this year.

The reports, which are required under U.S. law for publicly traded companies, include much of the fine print that isn’t included in typical earnings releases and calls, including detailed discussions of the risks companies face.

The filing doesn’t contain any shocking revelations but does shed more light on how Boeing is coping with the challenges facing the industry: workforce recruitment and retention in a globally tight labor market, supply change management challenges, inflation, and geopolitical turmoil in key markets including China and Russia.

Reports also mirror information provided by Airbus in regulatory filings in the Netherlands, where the company is registered.

The filings paint a picture in which 2023 will be an important year for both OEMs as they try to recover from a series of serious setbacks.

Summary

• MAX rates could go up; Airbus backs off
• Supply chain a factor for both
• Boeing finding workers; Airbus raised pay
• Geopolitical tensions affect industry