Word: aboulafia
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Boeing hired North Carolina--based New Breed Logistics to manage the lightly tooled final assembly of the major composite parts coming in to Boeing's Everett plant from as far away as Italy, Japan and Australia. To Richard Aboulafia, vice president of analysis for Teal Group, an aerospace and defense consultancy, the 787's production process qualifies it as the iPod of aerospace--essentially not only the new face of aviation but of American manufacturing as well. "Look at your iPod. Where was it built? Who the hell cares? That's not where the value is," he says. "You design...
...What do bankers know about building aircraft? "They gave us some great advice in terms of configuration in the airplane, going to a more standard aircraft and having the ability to switch engine manufacturers," says Randy Tinseth, vice president of marketing. The payoff: higher residual value of the airplane. Aboulafia says getting that kind of endorsement probably took a lot of hand holding and diplomacy, but the lesson is to get out there with the best business case you can offer: "Any doubts that the partners have are gone, of course, because this is the most successful launch...
...A380. In an interview last month, Boeing's Stonecipher pointed to another European government-backed plane that never made a profit and has been grounded. "The A380 is a great engineering success, but so was the Concorde. The A380 could be a market disaster," he said. Analyst Richard Aboulafia of Virginia's Teal Group agrees: "Airbus bet wrong on the A380, and the 787 is a major competitive threat...
...still profitable. Airbus places heavy bets, too. Late last year the company announced it would launch a new plane - the A350, similar to the 7E7. Boeing's argument is that Airbus can make such snap choices because it never faces the kind of market risks that Boeing does. Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst at Virginia-based Teal Group, agrees: "Airbus has the freedom to develop new products whenever it wants, or to discount prices whenever it wants, because its shareholders won't abandon it. Boeing, a fully floated company, has no such luxury." Boeing is trying to spin the A350...
Designing a plane and building it are two very different things. Boeing's decision could make or break its business. "If Boeing does not launch the 7E7, it is putting the world on notice that it will probably never again develop a new jetliner," says Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst at the Teal Group. "Even debating the issue casts doubts on its commitment to its current airplanes." Boeing's board hasn't officially given the go-ahead for the jet, which would start flying in 2008. But gung-ho Boeing executives have outlined to TIME their plans to launch...