Boeing

The Boeing Military Aircraft and Missile Systems Group has created three new executive positions with the responsibility for implementing lean initiatives across the defense group and with its suppliers.

Named are: John Coyle, director, Lean Engineering; Jim Davis, director, Lean Enterprise Promotion Office; and Leland Williams, manager, Lean Supplier Management. Coyle and Davis report to Al Haggerty, vice president and general manager, Engineering and focal point for the group's Lean Enterprise initiatives. Davis also reports to Norma Clayton, vice president for Lean Manufacturing. Williams is part of the Supplier Management organization led by Bill Stowers, vice president and general manager. All appointments are effective immediately.

"Boeing is committed to helping America and its allies build a strong defense through affordable, capable products and systems," Haggerty said. "Our Lean Enterprise initiatives are a key element in our efforts to deliver more value to our customers. Lean is helping us produce dramatic results now -- in all parts of our commercial, space and defense businesses. But we believe that when fully implemented across our organization and our supply base, lean principles will significantly lower recurring unit costs and improve overall competitiveness."

More than 80 percent of product cost is locked in by the engineering design. Coyle is responsible for developing and deploying integrated engineering tools and processes to help significantly reduce those costs. Included in these tools are virtual simulations of designs and manufacturing processes, standard parts and specifications, and design for manufacture and assembly techniques that allow for part reduction. Coyle has been director of Engineering supporting both Military Aircraft and Missile Systems and Phantom Works. He was responsible for the successful development of the company's suite of integrated computer-aided design tools called DMAPS.

Davis is responsible for deploying lean tools and techniques across the manufacturing operations of Military Aircraft and Missile Systems. Davis has been manager of Lean Production Systems for Boeing Commercial Airplane Group's propulsion systems in Seattle.

"Jim's extensive experience with commercial practices will be a tremendous asset in our efforts to share best practices across Boeing and to use more commercial approaches in our defense work," Haggerty said.

"More than 60 percent of our products' costs are provided to Boeing through suppliers. We are moving out aggressively to help our suppliers get the same productivity benefits from lean principles. This is a top priority for Boeing because it makes our entire enterprise more efficient," Stowers said.

Williams is responsible for deploying lean principles among the group's supply base, including training and common assessment ratings for evaluating supplier performance. He had been manager of quality assurance for the Boeing St. Louis fabrication center.

99-78