The big fix

At Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, a severely damaged C-17 Globemaster III rests in the sand. Its massive left wing blocks the runway, preventing the landing of other aircraft conducting essential military operations. One thing is for sure: The airplane, the most extensively damaged C-17 to date, has to be moved quickly. But can it be saved?

Fortunately, Boeing and the U.S. Air Force have prepared for this day. Under the C-17 Globemaster Sustainment Partnership program, Boeing is partnered with the Air Force to provide C-17 system support—and in cases like this receives an emergency call. The GSP plays a crucial role in how Boeing supports the C-17 and the Air Force—and is one example of the support and sustainment programs of Integrated Defense Systems' Logistics Support Systems unit.

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Getting an assist

In business, asking for help has traditionally been synonymous with weakness or inability, and speaking up could derail a career. But that perception is changing, thanks in part to Help Needed. That's Boeing's name for the management strategy for creating efficiencies by solving problems—ideally before they arise.

Help Needed is considered such an important element to the success of Boeing it's a cornerstone of the eight Program Management Best Practices. Managers are expected to create an environment for their teams to identify, surface and solve problems. That's good for employees—and the bottom line.

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To your health

Boeing has successfully integrated Lean principles into both commercial and military operations for years. Thanks to Lean methodologies that eliminate wasted time, materials and money, the company continues to realize improvements in cost, quality and efficiency.

It should come as no surprise, then, that since May 2005, the company has partnered with DePaul Health Center in St. Louis to assist the hospital in its Lean journey, part of a shared commitment to business excellence in the community.

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Hard work pays off

What does it take to win a major strategic sale with a foreign government? Try this: A great team and

• Coordinating between dozens of Boeing, U.S. government and supplier organizations.
• Responding to extensive engineering, logistics and programmatic inquiries, some of which were so complex they required hundreds of hours to complete.
• Gaining an unprecedented series of approvals from the U.S. government.

Piece of cake? No, but that’s just what the St. Louis F-15SG Singapore Team did to make the F-15SG Singapore’s choice for its Next Fighter Replacement (NFR) Program.

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Hitting the high notes

Boeing supports the U.S. armed forces with platforms, networks, modifications, maintenance—and song and dance. Through its sponsorship of the Great American Voices program, Integrated Defense Systems is helping bring quality performances of classic American musical numbers and opera favorites to military facilities around the country.

In partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the Department of Defense and OPERA America, the program began in September and will visit 39 military installations through August.

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Innovation's inside face

For many people outside Boeing, the face of the company's innovation is its products: the Space Shuttle, commercial airplanes, GPS satellites and more. But just as important to Boeing's success is innovation in how those products are developed, designed, produced and upgraded, and maintained through a lifetime of service.

One initiative, Product Lifecycle Management, is taking a new perspective on product development to ensure the input of significant stakeholders at every stage of a product's lifecycle, including retirement.

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Data bridge

Fighter pilots have said, "speed is life." It follows that the speedy delivery of data equates with life—as well as with the success of the U.S. Department of Defense's transformation.

Two Boeing programs, the Wideband Gapfiller Satellite (WGS) and Transformational Satellite Communications Space Segment (TSAT SS), are developing satellites that will quickly disseminate large amounts of data. Their products are designed to facilitate the military's transformation to network-centric operations. They also demonstrate Boeing's leadership in the growing NCO market.

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