may 2015 25 Strengthening Boeing’s roots fuselage parts are constructed in one of the largest manufacturing plants in the country, a sprawling building that covers 753,000 square feet (70,000 square meters) near the town of Grottaglie. Using a 10,000-foot (3,050-meter) runway lengthened to accommodate the large scope of work, those fuselage sections manufactured in Grottaglie are loaded onto the modified 747 Dreamlifter and flown to Boeing South Carolina in North Charleston, where employees install systems and wiring and attach a 787 fuselage section produced in Japan. The airfield is shared with the Italian navy and its fleet of AV-8B Harriers— jet fighters assembled by Alenia using kits supplied by Boeing heritage company McDonnell Douglas, a past Boeing and Italian collaboration. “Italy is one of the most important partners we have in Europe,” said Antonio De Palmas, Boeing Italy president. “This is based on presence, supplier base, installed base and relationships. One reason we have such a strong presence is that Italy is one of the most open plan was and how to create one, plus how to work in a business environment. Called Natural..mente scuola, which means “naturally, school,” or “school, of course,” the program was considered such a success that it led to a second program involving an even younger Italian audience with a larger reach. Beginning in 2010, Boeing connected with 100,000 students from elementary and secondary schools hailing from 20 regions across Italy. The response from the younger students to topics not typically addressed in the local school systems was enthusiastic, providing Boeing with a unique connection across the European nation, according to Balla. “These programs are really strengthening our roots in the country,” Balla said. “They create value, Italian texture. They allow us to be an innovative partner and company.” n markets in the world for Boeing.” It begins with the country’s multitude of defense needs. Boeing built four KC-767A tankers for the Italian air force and provides customized support services, plus provides precision airstrike weaponry such as the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and the Small Diameter Bomb through a partnership with Italian industry. The Italian Army has received four of the 16 CH-47F Chinook helicopters being jointly produced for it in Italy through 2017 by Boeing and AgustaWestland, another Finmeccanica subsidiary. The advanced “F” model is replacing Italy’s CH-47C fleet, in use for four decades. Italy is a customer for the ScanEagle unmanned aircaft system of Boeing’s subsidiary Insitu. Boeing also provides Italy with military satellites and launch services, and partners on ground-based training and support systems for jet-fighter trainers, advanced cybersecurity solutions, a naval ship-toshore connector program and robotics. “As the world’s premier aerospace company, Boeing carries a certain amount of prestige in Italy,” said Oris Davis, director, Boeing International Business Development, Southern Europe. “More important, we have a proven track record of successfully establishing partnerships with national industry.” The KC-767 tanker is an example of Boeing-Italian collaboration. Boeing supplies a 45-person team that handles all Italian tanker maintenance work at Pratica di Mare Air Base near Rome under a performance-based logistics contract. Most air forces prefer to keep some or all of these responsibilities in-house. Boeing has nearly 300 employees in Italy, shifting from expatriates to primarily Italians, and the country continues to explore local prospects and markets there, according to Paolo Scialanga, manager, Boeing Boeing not only maintains aerospace relationships with Italy; it readily encourages the country’s next generation to get involved in science, technology, engineering and the environment. Through a series of Global Corporate Citizenship programs, the company and local partners have reached out to more than 130,000 Italian students of all ages and shared different educational and environmental concepts. “Our interest was to increase and build awareness in the children who will be leaders in the future,” said Armida Balla, a Boeing government-relations specialist in Rome and Global Corporate Citizenship liaison. Boeing, initially teaming with supplier Alenia Aermacchi in 2008, has showed 32,000 university and high school students in southern Italy’s Puglia region—a heavy manufacturing area in which production of 787 Dreamliner fuselage sections and horizontal stabilizers is based—what a business Photo: Students from the Boeing-supported Natural..mente scuola program tour the Alenia plant in Grottaglie, Italy. Production was suspended to accommodate the large event. Giovanni Squitieri
Frontiers May 2015 Issue
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