Boeing has pledged to ensure the safety of all its narrow-body B737 MAX aircraft from its Renton, Washington factory. The company has ordered its engineering team to review and identify potential accidents in its production system, improve employee engagement, and establish a strong safety culture within the company. Boeing Commercial Airplanes senior vice president of quality Elizabeth Lund said that the steps taken will make the company an even better company and ensure air transportation is the safest means of transportation.
Boeing introduced changes in the production system, employee engagement, and safety system immediately after the door plug blowout incident on January 5 involving a B737 MAX-9 operated by Alaska Airlines on flight 1282. Lund said a redundancy and complexity in Boeing's production compliance system, as well as new hires without aerospace industry experience, have led to the series of issues the American plane manufacturer is facing.
To address these issues, Boeing has set up an independent organization called the Chief Safety Aerospace organization to conduct an internal audit on its production system, engage with engineers, mechanics, and inspectors, and use data analytics to identify areas of risks and potential defects to the fuselage. Foundational training has become mandatory for new hires, with every employee who graduated from the foundational training having an assigned mentor to monitor their work and provide feedback or answer questions when needed.
Boeing is also inspecting components including fuselages with its suppliers, including Spirit AeroSystems, before the aircraft parts enter its factories to be assembled. Boeing has seen up to an 80 percent reduction in fuselage defects once the inspection process began. Boeing recently announced that it will purchase Spirit AeroSystems for US$4.7 billion in stock in a bid to improve its production system. Lund said the challenges present a moment to step back and holistically look at its production, workforce, and safety systems and come up with better and improved working processes. Boeing has taken all feedback it received from employees, the FAA, and airline customers and is open to new ideas and solutions on how to strengthen its safety and production systems. The company's commitment to flying safety and transparency is what should make the world believe in Boeing's commitment to flying safety.