Quality time Skill Enhancement Centers drill down on the finer points of 747 assembly By Joanna Pickup 16 BOEING FRONTIERS / JULY 2013 Crouched in the belly of a 747-8, Nomer Nazario prepares to drill a hole in a skin panel. Making sure everything is aligned, he takes one last, deep breath before he drills—the hole must be flawless. But this isn’t a one-time event. Structures mechanics such as Nazario drill millions of holes to fasten the skin panels of every 747-8. “Every hole has to be perfect,” said Nazario, 747 structures team leader at the Everett, Wash., factory. “If we find or create a defect, we have to start over and fix it.” Exceptional quality has always been a focus for Boeing and the 747 program. So when employees saw that some jobs weren’t hitting the mark the first time, they took action. In the course of a year, they have made consistent progress in improving performance. The numbers tell the story. Overall quality is up by 40 percent, and some teams have reduced defects by more than 50 percent. It started with something simple: daily conversations. At the start of every shift, each team reviewed its quality data—how many defects it had produced the day before—then discussed how the team could improve. “Employees who build our airplanes have one of the toughest jobs in the company—they make our products come together.” – Rick Palmer, senior manager of the Training and Compliance organization for Boeing Commercial Airplanes “The daily reports helped us focus on how we were doing,” said Damian Terrell, 747 structures mechanic and team leader. “Everyone became aware of where we could make the most improvements, and we started taking action to make a difference.” Members of the teams led by Terrell and Nazario pooled their knowledge daily, sharing best practices and tricks of the trade, such as using a different tool or different angle when drilling. But if employees wanted more training and coaching, there were few places they could turn. That is, until the new Skill Enhancement Centers opened. Launched a year ago as a pilot training PHOTOS: (Above, from left) The 747 team of structures mechanics includes Shawn Eveland, inspecting his work on the fuselage of a 747-8; Todd Robertson; Jill Jennings, foreground, and Nomer Nazario, helping each other drill holes with precision; Jessica Quach, preparing to drill into the fuselage of a 747-8. (Right) The 747-8 final assembly bay in Everett, Wash. Bob Ferguson/Boeing
Frontiers July 2013 Issue
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