Claims of Shoddy Production Draw Scrutiny to a Second Boeing Jet

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: New York Times

Claims of Shoddy Production Draw Scrutiny to a Second Boeing Jet
Workers at a 787 Dreamliner plant in South Carolina have complained of defective manufacturing, debris left on planes and pressure to not report violations.

By Natalie Kitroeff and David Gelles
April 20, 2019

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — When Boeing broke ground on its new factory near Charleston in 2009, the plant was trumpeted as a state-of-the-art manufacturing hub, building one of the most advanced aircraft in the world. But in the decade since, the factory, which makes the 787 Dreamliner, has been plagued by shoddy production and weak oversight that have threatened to compromise safety.

A New York Times review of hundreds of pages of internal emails, corporate documents and federal records, as well as interviews with more than a dozen current and former employees, reveals a culture that often valued production speed over quality. Facing long manufacturing delays, Boeing pushed its work force to quickly turn out Dreamliners, at times ignoring issues raised by employees.

Complaints about the frenzied pace echo broader concerns about the company in the wake of two deadly crashes involving another jet, the 737 Max. Boeing is now facing questions about whether the race to get the Max done, and catch up to its rival Airbus, led it to miss safety risks in the design, like an anti-stall system that played a role in both crashes.

Safety lapses at the North Charleston plant have drawn the scrutiny of airlines and regulators. Qatar Airways stopped accepting planes from the factory after manufacturing mishaps damaged jets and delayed deliveries. Workers have filed nearly a dozen whistle-blower claims and safety complaints with federal regulators, describing issues like defective manufacturing, debris left on planes and pressure to not report violations. Others have sued Boeing, saying they were retaliated against for flagging manufacturing mistakes.
....

[If you’ve worked at Boeing and want to discuss your experience, reach us confidentially here.] (1)
....

[The reporters on this article can be reached at [e-mail] and [e-mail].]

Sheelagh McNeill contributed research.

A version of this article appears in print on April 21, 2019 of the New York edition with the headline: Boeing Dreamliner Plant Accused of Safety Lapses. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

(1) https://www.nytimes.com/tips

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/20/business/boeing-dreamliner-production-problems.html

---

David Fahrenthold Retweeted

https://twitter.com/Fahrenthold

This is terrifying. The factory where @Boeing manufactures 787 Dreamliners has such serious problems that some employees say they won’t fly on the planes. Bombshell by @Nataliekitro @dgelles

Link to tweet

[Turbineguy]

1. Life in Trump's America.

[cstanleytech]

10. There is alot to rightly bash Trump over but this is not one of them as apparently

its been an issue for years before he was in office.

[marble falls]

18. And Trump has been so pro regulation, too ...

<sarcasm icon>

[cstanleytech]

19. I never said nor implied that as the fact is he has been very lax on such things however

that aside the issues here date back before he was President and in fact the laxness is such things nationwide in general is largely due to the Repugnants both in Washington and at the state level.

[PSPS]

2. Yeah, but think of all the money they're saving by building the plant in South Carolina!!11!1

This is what happens when you "race to the bottom."

[safeinOhio]

3. Look for the Union label

Moved production to ditch the union.

[sdfernando]

23. This was my 1st thought on seeing this post

Well that's what you get when you ditch the union to save a few bucks.

[GeorgeGist]

4. And FAA lets Boeing do FAA inspections ...

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/04/20/did-faa-outsource-air-safety-boeing-and-other-companies/3497255002/

[benld74]

5. Doesn't ANY company take pride in their products anymore?

Or Any worker?
Is it just slap them together
Out the door
Cash your check?
Nt

[cstanleytech]

11. I would not blame much of it on the workers rather on the corporation because they set

the tone with their attempt to keep up with a rival.
Take the grocery industry for example, it used to be a decent business to be in and work for and the pay while not stellar worked well enough however once Walmart came on the scene a number of grocery stores started doing stupid things to compete.
For example alot of them started cutting worker hours and demanding the workers do even more and they also started paying the workers less and less but has it worked? No it has not and a number of them that tried that approach are losing customers and closing stores like Food Lion and Bi-Lo.
Now had they focused on providing a better shopping experience with top of the line customer service like Publix did they might not be in the mess they are in however they did not so they are in trouble.

[Bengus81]

6. Never saw that when being built in Wichita for almost 80 years..........

But...they had an evilllll ole' Union that wanted their fair share of the BILLIONS Boeing was making each year. So,after decades of building quality aircraft and getting HUGE tax breaks they flipped Wichita the bird and blew town for SC.

McConnell AFB here in Wichita stopped accepting the new Boeing tankers because of all the CRAP left inside of them upon delivery. Everything from trash to nuts and bolts to tools.

[Maxheader]

7. I call b.s..

shoddy production and weak oversight that have threatened to compromise safety

Very general statement. Lets get down to nity grity...'weak oversight?"...that sounds like poor inspecting..
Are they buying off parts and installations that are wrong? Are we talking about actual production or
people slipping and falling over air hoses or what? The faa would be all over bad engineering or missed
squawks and liaison engineering faults. South Carolina has a reputation of production not meeting scheduling...but they still have to meet all the criteria or 'fit, form and function'...There is no way to get around that...

[Bengus81]

8. I don't,seen it here in Wichita.....

They are two+ years behind on those new generation AF tankers. So in order to get something delivered they bring several down here full of trash and junk and call it a delivery. As I stated it was so bad that the AF has REFUSED delivery on any more until they get their shit together and deliver a real product.

Could you imagine GM selling you a $60,000 truck that came in like that through a dealer?

[beachbum bob]

9. boeing competing with walmart for employees if that is a hint in South Carolina

[louis c]

12. Be Careful. Non-Union Employees-At-Will

[gilligan]

13. Non Union Shop

[Sherman A1]

14. Yup

says so very much.

[SFnomad]

15. When you race to the bottom with "Right to Work" for less ... you get what you pay for n/t

[burrowowl]

16. Adds to the fact they did not redesign the plane

given engine/wing/ change no amount of software tweaks will fix this. Physics, aerodynamics, etc. aren't affected by software write-arounds.

[dalton99a]

17. "Ever since, Qatar has bought only Dreamliners built in Everett."

That's what you get for hiring people off the street to work on passenger jets

[dixiegrrrrl]

20. "Managers were also urged to not hire unionized employees from the Boeing factory in Everett,"

Member of my family worked at the plant for 30 years, good salary/bennies, pension, and workers were proud of the job they did in Everett.
shoddiness, corner cutting, profits at all cost is the standard today in most once proud companies, it seems.

Any word how people are reacting to the airlines who continue to fly this model of planes?

[Bengus81]

21. Employee's in Wichita were NEVER told why they were being fired.........

They tossed people under the bus with 30+ years and had DHL deliver the notice that only stated you do NOT need to show up for work on Monday when it changed to Spirit Aviation. It was also a great way for managers to shit can people they never got along with and do it legally.

A neighbor living behind me went out the door with 18 years and 3 or more pay grade jumps. He told me him and his manager never did hit it off. Lawsuits were filed and they got NOTHING,afaik they never went to court. He later went to work for a home security company for probably about 1/3 the pay.

[Blue_Tires]

22. Which is odd because aside from a battery issue, the 787 has been reliable since launch...