Boeing has recorded measurable improvements in quality across its commercial airplane supply chain over the past two years, according to an executive speaking at an industry supplier conference near Seattle. Ihssane Mounir, the company’s senior vice president for global supply chain and fabrication, said the manufacturer now spends less time addressing supplier-related issues than it did previously.
The time required to resolve supply chain problems has declined by about 40% compared with 2024, Mounir said. Defects linked to Spirit AeroSystems, which produces 737 fuselages and other aerostructures, have decreased by roughly 60% since additional inspections were introduced, he told attendees, according to Reuters.
Spirit was responsible for the manufacture and installation of a 737 MAX door plug involved in an in-flight failure on an Alaska Airlines aircraft in early 2024 that prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to set production limits for Boeing.
Boeing later reacquired Wichita, Kansas-based Spirit, a move that provides the manufacturer with greater oversight of its aerostructures supply chain. The supplier originated in 2005 after Boeing divested parts of its aerostructures business.
“[Spirit] coming back into family was probably the best thing that’s happened in my career,” Mounir said, according to Reuters.
Quality issues among suppliers had previously affected efforts to increase jetliner production following the COVID-19 pandemic.
