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Seattle Dec. 17 (BUS): At Boeing Co (BA.N)’s factory of the future, 3D-engineered designs will be twinned with robots that talk to each other, while mechanics around the world will be linked to $3,500 Microsoft-made HoloLens headsets ( MSFT.O).
It’s a snapshot of Boeing’s new and ambitious strategy to unify its sprawling design, production and flight services operations under one digital ecosystem — in less than two years, Reuters said.
Critics say Boeing has repeatedly made similarly bold pledges about a digital revolution, with mixed results. But insiders say the overall goals of improving quality and safety have taken on greater urgency and importance as the company grapples with multiple threats.
The planemaker is battling in 2022 to reassert its engineering dominance after the 737 Max crisis, while laying the groundwork for a future aircraft program over the next decade — a $15 billion gamble. It also aims to prevent future manufacturing problems such as the structural defects that have blighted the 787 Dreamliner over the past year.
“It’s about strengthening engineering,” Boeing chief engineer Greg Heslop told Reuters in his first interview in nearly two years. “We’re talking about changing the way we work across the entire company.”
After years of unbridled market competition, the need to deliver bloated order books has opened a new front in Boeing’s war with European Airbus (AIR.PA), this time on the factory floor.
Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury, former head of automotive research, has pledged to “innovate new production systems and harness the power of data” to improve its industrial system.
Boeing’s approach to date has been characterized by incremental advances in specific aircraft software or tools, rather than the overhaul that characterizes Hyslop Propulsion today.
The simultaneous push by both giants on board is emblematic of the digital revolution taking place globally, with automakers like Ford Motor Co (FN) and social media companies like Facebook’s Meta Platforms Inc (FB.O) bringing work and play into the An immersive virtual world sometimes called metaverse.
So how does the metaverse – a shared digital space that often uses virtual or augmented reality and is accessible online – work in aviation?
Like Airbus, the Holy Grail of Boeing for its upcoming new aircraft is building and connecting 3D “two-digital” virtual versions of the aircraft and a production system capable of running simulations.
Digital mockups are supported by a “digital thread” that brings every bit of information about the aircraft together from its inception – from airline requirements, to millions of parts, to thousands of pages of certification documents – stretching deep into the supply chain.
Reforming old paper practices can make a powerful difference.
Hislop said more than 70% of Boeing’s quality problems are due to some type of design issue. Boeing believes such tools will be essential to bringing a new aircraft from scratch to market in less than four or five years.
“You get speed, you get improved quality, better communication, and better responsiveness when issues arise,” Hislop said.
“When the quality from the supply base is better, when the aircraft industry goes together more smoothly, when you reduce rework, financial performance will follow.”
However, the plan faces enormous challenges.
Skeptics point to technical problems with the Boeing 777X mini-jumbo and T-7A RedHawk military trainer aircraft, which were developed using digital tools.
Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with the Teal Group, said Boeing has focused too much on shareholder returns at the expense of engineering dominance, and continues to cut research and development spending.
“Is it worth pursuing? By all means,” said Abu Al-Afia. “Are you going to solve all their problems? No.”
Juggernauts such as aircraft parts maker Spirit AeroSystems (SPR.N) have invested in digital technology. Major aircraft makers have partnerships with French software maker Dassault System (DAST.PA). But hundreds of small suppliers spread across the world lack the capital or human resources to make the leaps.
Much has been weakened by the Max crises and the coronavirus, which followed a decade of price pressures from Boeing or Airbus.
“Not only are they telling us what hardware we can buy, they’re now going to figure out all this great digital junk that goes into that?” A supply chain executive said.
Boeing itself has realized that digital technology alone is not a panacea. Industry sources say it should come with organizational and cultural changes across the company.
Boeing recently hired veteran engineer Linda Hapgood to oversee its “digital transformation,” which one industry source said is supported by more than 100 engineers.
Hapgood is known for turning black and white paper drawings of 767 bus wire bundles into 3D images, then outfitting the mechanics with HoloLens tablets and headsets for augmented reality. An insider said the quality has improved by 90%.
In its new role, Hapgood hired engineers who worked on a digital twin of a now-defunct mid-market aircraft known as the NMA.
It also draws on lessons learned from the MQ-25 refueling drones and the T-7A Red Hawk.
Boeing “build” the first T-7As in the simulator, following a model-based design. The T-7A was put on the market in just 36 months.
However, the software is experiencing parts shortages, design delays, and additional testing requirements.
Boeing got its start with the 777X wings factory in Washington state, where the robot was first planned and optimized digitally. But the broader program is years behind schedule and mired in certification challenges.
“This is a long game,” Hislop said. “Every one of these efforts was addressing part of the problem. But what we want to do now is do it from start to finish.”
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