Savings v. Safety in Aircraft Manufacturing

On January 5th, Alaska Airlines flight 1282 left Portland, Oregon en route to Ontario, California. Just minutes into the flight, the Boeing 737 Max 9 lost a door plug, creating a gaping hole in the side of the aircraft.

Fortunately, all 171 passengers and six crew members were safe, largely because the plane had only reached 16,000 feet, minimizing the amount of cabin decompression that took place. It also helped that no one was sitting in front of the plug, which was put in place to cover a spot that otherwise would have been an extra emergency exit

Once the shock wore off, the questions began. How did this happen? Whose fault was it? And how can we prevent it from happening again?

The answer to all three questions involves the supply chain: one specific supplier and a model of outsourcing that is common in the aerospace industry.

In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner considers the specific issues at play in this situation as well as in the industry as a whole:

• The facts about the plane leading up to the accident
• The weaknesses that (over?) reliance on outsourcing has created in aircraft manufacturing
• The role of oversight and inspection given what’s at stake from a public safety standpoint
  

Links:

• Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
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• Art of Supply on AOP
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