LEADERSHIP MESSAGE BOEING FRONTIERS / NOVEMBER 2013 7 Course for success Everyone has a role in Boeing’s future as an aerospace leader Ray Conner Commercial Airplanes is in the innovation business, but our guiding principles are timeless: Put the customer first, set the bar for quality, and provide the best value in the marketplace. Unfortunately, those principles have been tested by recent challenges with our schedule and performance on development programs. That’s disappointing, for our customers and for our team. But we’re working hard to turn it around and strengthen the reputation for value that has defined Boeing through nearly a century of aerospace leadership. We’ve been handed an incredible franchise by our founders and it’s up to all of us to protect it and keep it alive. Our value plan targets improvements in the areas that matter most to our customers: the quality, performance and reliability of our airplanes, coupled with on-time delivery and world-class customer support. These are the cornerstones of Boeing value. As the competitive environment grows more challenging, our ability to hit the mark in these areas will determine our very future as an aerospace leader. In the next five years, commercial airplane customers will make purchase decisions worth $1.2 trillion. Those sales will determine who rules the market in the long term—Boeing or Airbus. Make no mistake, Airbus is a fierce competitor, working hard to push us to the sidelines. We can’t let that happen. So here’s our plan: At Commercial Airplanes, we will redouble our efforts to design and produce the best airplanes in the world—efficiently, affordably and on time. We’ll trim costs to achieve pricing flexibility today and fund the innovations of tomorrow. And we’ll grow our services, to better support customers throughout the life of the airplane. We’ll compete hard, but we won’t sacrifice quality, safety or value. We helped pioneer this industry, and the world looks to us to set the standard. Providing traditional Boeing value for less won’t be easy, but our strategic plan charts the course for success. It’s especially important that we improve our design-and-build quality and reduce mistakes that lead to expensive and time-consuming rework. That’s true for all of us, whether we work directly with the airplanes or support the business in other ways. Everyone has a role. Our ability to draw from talent and resources across Boeing is a huge advantage. We see that every day in our successful collaboration with Boeing Defense, Space & Security on the KC-46 Tanker program, in our work with suppliers and on efforts to improve safety across the enterprise. The progress we’ve made with Lean+, Partnering for Success, Go for Zero and other initiatives is moving us in the right direction, but we have more work to do. I’m asking everyone to make this personal and make your own mark, because we’re all in it together. I’ve been part of Commercial Airplanes for more than 35 years— working on the factory floor, in the sales office and on our airplane programs. I’ve seen what our team can do. No one is better at solving tough problems, finding a path forward and revolutionizing the world of flight. We are guardians of a proud legacy. Working together, we will meet this challenge and secure our long-term future as aerospace leaders. That’s who we are. We are Boeing. n PHOTO: BOB FERGUSON/BOEING President and CEO, Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Frontiers November 2013 Issue
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