Calculated improvement Ordering only the right amount of material needed to fabricate parts means a big reduction in waste—and costs By Patrick Summers An employee team at Boeing South Carolina that helps fabricate parts made from large sheets of composite material for the interior of the 787 Dreamliner is showing that simple steps to reduce waste and adopt best practices can bring both environmental and business benefits. In this case, the simple solution was an easy-to-use calculator that ensures a precise amount of material is ordered to manufacture a part. “If we improve our accuracy at the front end when we order material, we streamline our operations and 38 Frontiers July 2014 Ordering the right amount of material is a critical step in reducing waste and cutting costs. Moser estimates in the past two years the calculator has helped the South Carolina site reduce the amount of composite material ordered by 37 percent, or 44,000 pounds (20,000 kilograms), adding up to $1.1 million in avoided costs. To help create this more efficient process, Moser and his teammates turned to the calculator, a best practice first developed at the interior parts fabrication facility in Everett, Wash. “What we want to do is reflect what’s consumed in the building of the part, not the finished product,” said Brett Price, the Everett manufacturing engineer who designed the calculator. “The calculator helps engineers order the right amount of material.” Use of the calculator earned the site a 2014 Boeing Conservation Award, given annually to projects that promote efficiency, recycling and other resource conservation efforts. It also supports Build a Better Planet, Boeing’s strategy to improve the environmental performance of its operations and products. Said Price: “Any reduction in waste is definitely better for the environment.” n patrick.a.summers@boeing.com reduce the back-end waste that otherwise would need extra handling and special disposal,” said Matt McCalley, environmental engineer at the North Charleston site. Before the calculator was part of the process, the system used to order raw material would designate a full sheet of composite material for an aircraft part that might only require a fraction of that amount. “The former process would include leftover material and created unneeded inventory,” said Greg Moser, manufacturing engineer. PHOTOS: (From left) Brett Price inspects cuttings to a section of foam that’s part of the fabrication process for composite parts for the 787 Dreamliner in Everett, Wash. GAIL HANUSA/BOEING At Boeing South Carolina, Matt McCalley, left, and Greg Moser inspect composite material that will be used in fabricating parts for the 787. ALAN MARTS/BOEING
Frontiers July 2014 Issue
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