Work: flow This employee is helping speed assembly of the 777—with the 777X next As told to Elizabeth Fischtziur, with photo by Marian Lockhart Melanie Willis is a Manufacturing initiatives leader for 777 Final Assembly Manufacturing, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. In this Frontiers series that profiles employees and their jobs, Willis describes her role in streamlining the 777 production system. Frontiers July 2014 11 WHAT WE DO I admit it: I’m an av-geek. I love airplanes. I grew up around them— my grandfather, dad and brother are all pilots—and Boeing was always a household name. Honestly, “airplane” was my second word, ever. I’m so fortunate to work with them daily as a Manufacturing initiatives leader for 777 Final Assembly. It’s a challenge to articulate my role, as it’s ever-evolving. I’ve come to think of myself as a force multiplier. I streamline communication and allow the leadership team to expand the breadth and depth of areas it can influence. I manage projects that help us reduce waste in the system. These include everything from physically transforming space in our factory to reducing traveled work (work that is passed from shop to shop) and quality defects. Most important, I am the initiative leader for 777 Final Assembly flow reduction—a project I’m most excited about. Flow is the number of days we spend building an airplane from start to finish. The 777 is at its highest production rate ever—8.3 airplanes per month. So reducing flow is essential to meeting customer demand. If we send airplanes to the field with lots of open jobs, it can disrupt schedules for teams at the Everett Delivery Center that have to finish the work. So we’re working on projects to transform the production system and improve the way we do business. I’m juggling a lot of moving pieces, but I know we’re building a “domino effect” with each small upgrade helping improve other projects or processes. Another part of my job is to help communicate to 777 teammates why these changes are important. A year ago I was working in Human Resources, so I’m aware of how plans can affect employees. I aim to help others understand where we’re going, that it’s not just change for change’s sake; it’s strategic. It’s about making changes now to streamline the production system so we can successfully transition to the 777X and position ourselves in a competitive environment. In a way, my role now is not that much different than when I was in Human Resources. I apply daily the lessons I learned in HR, such as coaching, holding others accountable, and understanding and applying policies and procedures. That’s one of the best things about working for Boeing—there are many different career paths you didn’t even know existed. I feel privileged to work in this role and to manage projects that will benefit the program and extend the 777’s legacy. It’s been a great learning experience; I have a front seat as we’re making history. And I can’t think of a more challenging and rewarding work environment. n elizabeth.a.fischtziur@boeing.com
Frontiers July 2014 Issue
To see the actual publication please follow the link above