the team was made up of mostly new employees.” As a result of that experience, 80 percent of the first group of 737 MAX mechanics have two or more years of experience on the Next-Generation 737, so they already understand the 737 production system—and the safety culture. Lee Foldesi has been an electrician on the 737 for four years. “My grandfather used to make the rivets that held the 737 together,” Photo: Chris Leiker, left, and Lee Foldesi train on a mock-up of the 737 MAX wheel well. Foldesi said. “Now I get to be part of something brand-new.” Preparing for the 737 MAX not only required building the right team with the right skills but also helping it foresee the inevitable problem areas. Working through the training, mechanics already have been able to identify potential issues before they became problems in the factory. For example, during training Foldesi found a discrepancy between the engineering drawing and the wiring when he was practicing on a mock-up for the MAX. He was able to identify what needed to be changed and share that with the MAX Operations team to implement a fix. “Being able to identify and address those kinds of issues now will save time when the airplane is in the factory and is a huge advantage,” Foldesi said. Mechanics are being cross-trained to work multiple positions on the assembly 38 Boeing Frontiers
Frontiers August 2015 Issue
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