April 2008 | Volume VI, Issue XI www.boeing.com/frontiers STRONG SIGNAL Boeing’s satellite business has helped change the world—and shown how to best use cross-company knowledge April 2008 Volume VI, Issue XI BOEING FRONTIERS ON THE COVER: Boeing’s Satellite Development Center, in El Segundo, Calif. Photo illustration by Brandon Luong; photo by Bob Ferguson COVER STORY BOB FERGUSON PHOTO Among the stars | 14 Deran Bell, a solar array floor supervisor, is one of the many teammates in Boeing’s satellite busi- ness. This business and its people create products that provide essential services and many conveniences—and have demonstrated how Boeing teams can improve their operations by tapping knowledge from around the enterprise. FEATURE STORY | 22 A neat trip across Boeing Thanks to a spirit of collaboration, there’s a traveling Foreign Object Debris exhibit now making its way across Boeing. The exhibit’s organizers hope the display heightens employees’ efforts to prevent FOD. BOEING FRONTIERS APRIL 2008 3 Contents BOEING FRONTIERS The buzz builds | 24 You’ll hear Airplane Programs Finance teammates in Commercial Airplanes talk about “buzz”—the energy emanating from Lean focals who have helped Finance people cut waste and create new resource capacity. Here’s a look at some of their many projects. 1,400 and looking forward | 28 Four teammates on the 747 program were there at the start of this program— and are still contributing as Boeing recently delivered its 1,400th 747. This quartet said they’ve seen first-hand the improvements Boeing has made to the airplane and the processes used to build it. Space for career Lean focals Mike Lozar (left) and Bryant Bonner discuss process improvements during a recent workshop. Lozar 24 and Bonner are two of about 100 focals and facilitators in growth | 30 the Airplane Programs Finance Lean network. DANIEL THOMPSON PHOTO To inspire college students to join the aerospace industry after graduation, Boeing recently hosted about 240 Denver-area undergrads at the Third Space Exploration Conference. Tried and true methods | 31 To finish a long list of tasks before the delivery of Japan’s first-ever aerial refueling tanker, the KC-767 tanker team turned to some “old school” tactics— including Post-it notes on a wall—to increase visibility on remaining work. It helped the team rally to get the job done. An eye on future growth | 32 The Boeing-developed SBInet system has brought advanced security tech- nology to a section of the United States–Mexico border. It’s intended to help U.S. Customs and Border Protection execute its mission more effectively—and it shows how border security is a new Boeing market for network integration. INSIDE Steve Bowman (from left), Leonard White, Lou Forbush and Don Smith all worked on the first 747—and are still with the 747 program 1,400 planes later. 28 6 Letters 10 Historical Perspective WILL WANTZ PHOTO 9 Notebook 12 New and Notable 4 APRIL 2008 BOEING FRONTIERS BOEING FRONTIERS APRIL 2008 Contents BOEING FRONTIERS The 9-90 building at the Boeing Developmental Center in Seattle includes several videoconferencing centers. Boeing is modern- 40 izing the Developmental Center’s interior to create collaborative, user-friendly work areas. JIM ANDERSON PHOTO Tag of progress | 36 Looking inside | 40 Since the F-22 receiving team in Seattle implemented a radio frequency identifi- Boeing is modernizing Integrated Defense Systems facilities in the Puget Sound cation (RFID) system for raw metal tubing, they’ve cut costs and eliminated region. The goal: Create collaborative, user-friendly work areas—in response to error. Meanwhile, both Integrated Defense Systems and Commercial Airplanes employee survey results—and support the company’s strategy for better asset are exploring new RFID applications that benefit customers, suppliers and utilization. internal teams. They can make it Protecting our work | 42 “One of my true joys lies in meeting Boeing inventors,” said Martha Ries, the happen | 38 head of Boeing’s Intellectual Property Management organization. She leads a team that aims to identify, protect and best use the company’s intellectual In St. Louis, you’ll find a team of 95 engineers that design tools—not the kind property to achieve a competitive advantage. you can buy at hardware stores, but unique and sometimes highly sophisticated tools that are used to build Boeing jet fighters. 45 Stock Charts 49 Around Boeing 46 Milestones 50 Spotlight APRIL 2008 BOEING FRONTIERS BOEING FRONTIERS APRIL 2008 5 Letters BOEING FRONTIERS Frontiers Publisher: Tom Downey Editorial director: Anne Toulouse Seeking EDITORIAL TEAM Editor: Paul Proctor: (312) 544-2938 a fair hearing Managing editor: Junu Kim: (312) 544-2939 Designer: Boeing execs explain why the company Brandon Luong: (312) 544-2118 Commercial Airplanes editor: is protesting USAF tanker contract award Dick Schleh: (206) 766-2124 iting irregularities with the competition process and the evaluation of bids, Boeing last month filed a Integrated Defense Systems editor: Diane Stratman: (562) 797-1443 formal protest with the Government Accountability Office and asked the agency to review the U.S. Air Force’s decision to award a contract for replacing aerial refueling tankers to a Northrop Grumman– Engineering, Operations & C Technology editor: European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company team. William Cole: (314) 232-2186 During a live March 12 webcast on the Boeing intranet, Mark McGraw, vice president and program man- Shared Services editor: ager of KC-767 Tanker Programs, and Beverly Wyse, vice president of the 767 Airplane Program, answered Mick Boroughs: (206) 919-7584 Boeing employees’ questions about the contract award and the protest—the first Boeing has filed in more Human Resources and than a decade. Administration editor: Geoff Potter: (312) 544-2946 In this special edition of Letters to the Editor, Boeing Frontiers offers an edited transcript of this webcast. Copy editor: Q: I’ve heard that Boeing offered a 777 tanker, a direct competitor in size and payload to the A330 Walter Polt: (312) 544-2954 tanker, and that the Air Force declined. Is this true? ONLINE PRODUCTION McGraw: It’s not true. Back in the early parts of this program before we had the Air Force’s requirements, we Production manager: did extensive studies about which platform we should offer. We looked very hard at the 767 and the 777, and Alma Dayawon: (312) 544-2936 we always communicated to the Air Force that we would proceed based on what they told us they wanted. Web designer: Michael Craddock: (312) 544-2931 As the requirements came out, it was clear to us the 767 was the right choice. If you looked at what they asked Graphic artists: for as far as fuel load, passengers and cargo, the 767 clearly met all the requirements across the board with Brandon Luong: (312) 544-2118 margin. We also knew the 767 had great advantages in that it used less fuel than the A330, it would have lower Cal Romaneschi: (312) 544-2930 maintenance costs, and it would have less of an impact on the Air Force’s infrastructure. These were things we Web developers: thought would be strengths and would make for a great tanker platform. Lynn Hesby: (312) 544-2934 Keith Ward: (312) 544-2935 Q: What were the negatives of our offering? Information technology consultant: McGraw: Typically, a debrief will have a lot of glowing things to say and then will focus on several key weak- Tina Skelley: (312) 544-2323 nesses. The debrief showed we had one weakness that I would characterize as minor: We underestimated the software task, which is very typical. Other than that, we had no major weaknesses. And frankly, our competitor How to contact us: had some significant weaknesses, such as the Aerial Refueling System. E-mail: [email protected] Q: Did Congress or U.S. presidential candidates have any effect on the contract award? Mailing address: Wyse: We want to stay focused on the requirements that the Air Force put in the [Request for Proposals] and Boeing Frontiers our ability to meet them. While we very much appreciate all the support [we’ve received from Congress, Boeing MC: 5003-0983 employees and the general public], our focus at Boeing really has got to be on those requirements: Did we 100 N. Riverside Plaza Chicago, IL 60606 understand them, and did we address them? Phone: We’d like to ask [Boeing employees] to really be careful about what you write and how you represent the com- (312) 544-2954 pany. If you personally want to support the many petitions that are out there, you absolutely have a right to do Fax: that. Just be very careful not to do it on company time or using company resources. (312) 544-2078 Web address: Q: Where does mission effectiveness fit into the protest? www.boeing.com/frontiers McGraw: We were very pleased when [mission effectiveness] was added [to the requirements], because we Send all retiree address changes to felt this was really going to assess how a fleet of these tankers would operate in a real-world scenario. We felt Boeing Frontiers, MC 3T-12 P.O. Box 3707 Seattle, WA 98124-2207 Letters guidelines Postmaster: Send address corrections to Boeing Frontiers, MC 3T-12 Boeing Frontiers provides its letters page for readers to state The opinions may not necessarily reflect those of The Boeing P.O. Box 3707, Seattle, WA 98124-2207 their opinions. The page is intended to encourage an exchange Company. Letters must include name, organization and a tele- (Present addressees, include label) of ideas and information that stimulates dialogue on issues or phone number for verification purposes. Letters may be edited events in the company or the aerospace industry.