Boeing South Carolina: ‘Firing on al cyl inders’ Jack Jones, who has led Boeing South Carolina operations since 2011, recently announced his retirement after a Boeing career that included leadership positions in a number of commercial and military programs. His replacement in North Charleston, Beverly Wyse, joined Boeing in 1985 and most recently served as vice president and general manager of the 737 program in Renton, Wash., where employees now are building 42 airplanes a month and will hit 52 a month starting in 2018. In this Q&A with Frontiers, Jones and Wyse discuss the remarkable journey the Boeing South Carolina workforce has made, and the challenges ahead with 787 Dreamliner production there scheduled to more than double by the end of the decade. Boeing South Carolina now is building three complete 787s a month, but it also produces 10 midbody fuselage sections and 10 aft-body fuselage sections a month for 787 production in North Charleston and in Everett, Wash. Talk about the journey, of Boeing South Carolina and the employees. Jones: When we started, there were very few mechanics who had ever worked on a commercial airplane. But we had a very intense training program. I can tell you the journey was not easy. I also can tell you the workforce, what they lacked in experience they made up for in attitude—an unbelievable attitude. There were a lot of people who said we wouldn’t be able to do it. But today this site is firing on all cylinders, better than it ever has. It was just dogged determination and expectations on the part of everyone who worked here that we could make this happen. 26 Boei ng Frontiers What are the challenges ahead? Wyse: It’s really about building on what has been put in place here and continuing to look to our fabulous teammates and what they have accomplished. You have a talented and motivated workforce that has demonstrated to itself, the company and the rest of the aerospace industry that it not only can exceed its own expectations but can break through records that the company has not passed through before … To get to 10 a month then positioning for 12 a month and later 14 a month (seven Dreamliners produced a month by Boeing South Carolina and seven produced by Everett) we will need teammates to take us there and figure out how to do it. … So it’s about continuing to build on the environment and the excitement that has gotten this site to where it is today. Renton is producing 737s at rates that once would have seemed unimaginable. Are there lessons learned for Boeing South Carolina? Wyse: A lot of the same ideas and innovations that have made Renton
Frontiers March 2015 Issue
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