There are some very frustrated Boeing 777 customers who are facing a month-long wait for their new aircraft. And it's frustrating for them because, for once, it's not Boeing's fault. Well, not directly.
Leading galley producer Sell has been swamped by the global ramp-up in airliner production, putting deliveries of these $260 million airliners in limbo.
The bottleneck, which is also being felt in Toulouse and Hamburg, is exactly the danger that had been predicted as the industry undertook the biggest combined production rate increases in history.
In 2007 the "big two" delivered almost 900 airliners and, with output rising to a record 960 units, bringing the supply chain with them has been crucial.
But for the airframers, managing the interiors suppliers under the industry's current structure is a bit like herding cats, as cabin fittings are categorised as buyer-furnished equipment (BFE). In other words, the airlines select and contract directly with the suppliers, who then deliver the goods to the aircraft production line at a specified date. This arrangement, in which the airframers have little involvement until the components turn up at the assembly line, has been the way the industry has worked since the days of the Boeing 707 and is clearly now out of date.
So there should be little surprise that both manufacturers are reinventing the way they work with the interiors industry for their A350 and 787 programmes, with much tighter selection and contractual arrangements. The challenge they face now is overcoming the BFE legacy across their current production lines.
Source: Flight International
