Actualités de Boeing

Jeannot a écrit:Le conflit entre Boeing et ses ingénieurs n'est pas encore terminé.

Selon le Herald Net

The union representing engineers at Boeing Co.'s military aircraft plant in Wichita, Kan., urged its members Friday to reject what Boeing calls its final contract offer. Bob Brewer, Midwest director for the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, said the union hopes to get workers to reject the contract and get the company back to the negotiating table. Thursday's vote will not include a strike authorization at Boeing's Integrated Defense Systems facility in Wichita, where the union represents 700 engineers.

[url=http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090131/BIZ/701319941/1005

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090131/BIZ/701319941/1005[/quote[/url]]

Il faut dire que le site de Wichita a reçu une douche froide il y a qq jours avec l' annonce de 1000 suppressions d' emploi.

Bonjour!

En réponse à la quantité !
Jim Mc Nerney préfère bien payer la qualité !
Une réponse négative à une demande de congeler primes et avantages, pour éviter les 10 000 licenciements !

------------Extrait de J.W. du Seatlle PI, dans ses derniers jours ---------------

http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/aerospace/

Boeing CEO Jim McNerney's Tuesday memo to Boeing employees that this story is based on can be found further below.

Boeing Chairman and Chief Executive Jim McNerney has told company employees in an e-mail that a suggestion by some of them to freeze wages across the company instead of cutting about 10,000 positions this year is not the best way to weather the ongoing industry downturn.

"More than a few of you have written to me asking whether we could avoid layoffs altogether by not paying incentive awards this year or by freezing wages across the board,'' McNerney wrote Tuesday in a companywide memo.

"While these actions would preserve some cash during the year and lessen the immediate impact on people, our judgment (and one shared by most major companies) is that they would put us at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to attracting and retaining the high-performing people we need to consistently perform for our customers.''

The aerospace giant, with more than 160,000 employees, announced last month that it will reduce its work force by about 10,000 positions in 2009 in response to the global economic downturn. That includes about 4,500 positions in its commercial airplanes business in the Puget Sound area.

Béochien

Quand Boeing (et la conjoncture aéronautique ) s'enrhume, Curtiss Wright éternue,
Le communiqué de C W sur Speed News indique donc que B adapte les cadences du 737 en les ramenant de 31 à 21,5 / mois
Plus loin on peut lire que C W est engagé sur le 747-8. Pas terrible !

2/25/2009 CURTISS-WRIGHT says it is expecting 737 production cut back in mid-2009 from current 31 per month to as little as 21.5 per month, and does not plan to make any 787 shipments in 2009.
http://www.speednews.com/

The metal treatment segment of Curtiss-Wright Corp. of Roseland, N.J., has received a contract from Boeing Co. of Chicago. The agreement will enable the former to establish a laser peen forming production cell inside the latter’s facility in Fredrickson, Wash. The cell, expected to be in production by midyear, will be used to shape portions of the wing sections of the Boeing 747-8.
http://www.photonics.com/Content/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=32272

Titane: VSMPO-Avisma et Boeing lanceront une coentreprise pendant la visite
d'Obama à Moscou

http://fr.rian.ru/business/20090407/120967837.html

MOSCOU, 7 avril - RIA Novosti. Le groupe russe VSMPO-Avisma et le consortium américain Boeing inaugureront une coentreprise d'usinage de pièces de titane pendant la visite du président américain Barack Obama à Moscou en juillet, a annoncé mardi Sergueï Tchemezov, patron du holding public russe Rostechnologii.
"La coentreprise de composants aéronautiques sera inaugurée pendant la visite de M.Obama en Russie", a indiqué M.Tchemezov devant les journalistes.
La nouvelle usine sera mise en exploitation à Verkhnaïa Salda, dans l'Oural russe, selon le site internet du holding Rostechnologii dont fait partie VSMPO-Avisma, le plus gros producteur de titane au monde. L'usine fabriquera des composants destinés à la construction d'avions commerciaux par Boeing, qui seront ensuite envoyées pour finition à l'usine de Seattle.

Boeing va réduire la cadence de la production des B777 !
Les commandes reçues s'assèchent depuis longtemps.
De nombreux clients demandent qu'on diffère les dates de livraison de ce modèle. D'autres risquent d'annuler.

La perspective est que, de toutes façons, l'Airbus A350-XWB sera disponible (dans toutes les 3 variantes proposées & commandées actuellement), et bien plus performant que n'importe quelle version de B777 correspondante ! Les clients pourront faire "annulation compensation", en basculant les 'annulations non sèches' sur des variantes B787 !

Maintenant on va voir bien plus clairement l'état de mort (commerciale) lente du B777-300ER !

Par exemple, on se demande même si BA prendra ses 6 x B777-300ER, étant donné qu'il pourrait exercer encore 4 options sur des B777-200ER, bien plus adaptés aux circonstances économiques actuelles. Il y a beaucoup moins de risque de faire voler du métal vide, qu'avec les B777-300ER !

Et le RR Trent 895, moteur infiniment plus fiable que le GE90-115B, est déjà dans la flotte. Il est, franchement, ridicule d'introduire un nouveau type de moteur dans la flotte des gros-porteurs de BA, pour six exemplaires, surtout quand il s'agit d'un moteur avec une fréquence statistique d'ennuis -- (il n'y a pas que les IFSD)-- notoire.

Aussi, BA pourrait utiliser ses B777-300ER (cdes. + options, qui ne sont que l'utilisation opportuniste de ses 10 "purchase rights", négociés à l'époque de Rod EDDINGTON), pour augmenter ses positions, à l'avenir, sur les B787, déjà commandés avec des RR Trent 1000 !

Pour GE, ..... après les déboires subis par les B777-200 à moteurs GE90, BA leur demanderait poliment d'aller se promener ! Cela viendrait compenser les US$ 52 à 72 millions (selon la manière d'apprécier les faits), que GE a facturés à BA, en refusant d'honorer strictement les clauses de garantie à l'époque !

On peut se demander s'il y aura des ralentissements dans les livraisons des B777-300ER & -200LR vers Qatar (je ne connais pas les plannings actuels ; Elmer ?). Si tel était le cas, ceci pourrait 'jouer' dans la décision de Qatar d'ajuster la config. cabine de ses A340-600HGW !

Liens :
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/04/09/325043/boeing-to-see-lower-777-rate-after-june-2010.html
DATE:09/04/09
SOURCE:Air Transport Intelligence news
Boeing to see lower 777 rate after June 2010
By Stephen Trimble

Boeing will slash production of the 777 next year due to weakening
demand.
The monthly production rate for the 777 will decline from seven to five aircraft after June 2010, the company announced on 9 April.
"It's necessary to adjust our production plans to align supply with these tough market conditions," says Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO Scott Carson.

Cela faisait un moment qu'il avait l'annonce sous le coude ! Boeing discute en profondeur les conditions avec les les clients !

At the same time, Boeing will defer a "modest increase" for 747-8 and 767 production, but maintain the 737 rate. Boeing did not release any new information about the 787 production ramp.

Les clients ont beau dire qu'ils mettent la pression pour avoir plus tôt de vrais remplacements des familles B737NG & A320 ! Les clients oublient aussi que GE (au sein de CFMI avec Safran-SNECMA) reconnaît sa vulnérabilité, et veut prolonger les B737NG le plus loin possible dans l'avenir, pour profiter de son exclusivité ! Les dirigeants des Cies. aériennes, qui ont pris GE comme fournisseur fétiche, sur Boeing B737 ou Airbus famille A320, ....devraient se fare un examen de conscience, au lieu de dire n'importe quoi ! Ils ont besoin de remplacer leurs monocouloirs viellisants !

Boeing cited delivery referrals, not order cancellations, as the sole driver for the production changes.

Oui, il essaie d'arranger la façade !

Meanwhile, Boeing acknowledges slower production and a price escalation for the 747, which is "currently in a loss position". Most units in the backlog will be delivered at reduced earnings levels, Boeing says.

Oui ! En réalité, "negative net earnings levels" !

The production cutbacks and price escalation has forced Boeing to report a decline of first quarter profits equal to $0.38 per share, the company says.

Pas étonnant !

Autre lien :
http://www.atwonline.com/news/story.html?storyID=16228

"Boeing to cut widebody production"
Friday April 10, 2009

Boeing yesterday stopped short of announcing the deep production cut anticipated by some but said that monthly 777 production will decrease to five aircraft from seven beginning in June 2010 and that previous plans to increase 747-8 and 767 production have been suspended.

http://www.boursier.com/vals/US/boeing-trebuche-apres-les-annonces-news-328193.htm

Boeing trebuche profit en baisse pour le T1.

Boeing : résultat net divisé par deux au T1 2009.

Boeing a enregistré un bénéfice net divisé par deux au premier trimestre, à 610 millions de dollars, soit 86 cents par action. Ce BPA a été grevé à hauteur de 38 cents par une réduction des cadences de production prévues et un ralentissement des hausses de prix programmées dans son activité d'avions commerciaux. Le groupe précise que ses résultats ont aussi été affectés par un mix de livraison moins favorable dans les activités de défense et par une hausse des dépenses de recherche-développement. Par segment, la marge opérationnelle s'est contractée de 7,1 points à 4,9% dans les avions commerciaux et de 2,2 points à 9,2% dans les systèmes de défenses intégrés. En tout, la marge opérationnelle de Boeing s'est dégradée de 5,1 points à 6,2%. Les revenus du groupe d'aéronautique et de défense ont augmenté de 3% à 16,5 milliards de dollars, avec des hausses de 5% dans le pôle avions commerciaux et de 2% dans celui des systèmes de défenses intégrés. Le carnet de commandes de Boeing a reculé de 4% à 339 milliards de dollars, soit l'équivalent de près cinq ans de revenus actuels. Reflétant notamment l'évolution moins favorable des prix prévus, Boeing réduit sa fourchette de BPA de 5,05 à 5,35 dollars en estimation précédente à une nouvelle de 4,70 à 5 dollars. http://www.boursorama.com/infos/actualites/detail_actu_societes.phtml?num=66123c11b77d4faa044f9dd978f93176

Boeing est obligé de passer aux aveux , enfin ! Ou, du moins, à commencer à préparer sa "story-line" dans cette intention !

Avec les nouvelles des résultats, il fallait bien que les vrais causes commencent à "sortir", ou, du moins, à se faire sentir !
Lien :
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/04/22/325505/boeing-reveals-60-aircraft-deferrals-from-2010-and-2011.html

DATE:22/04/09. SOURCE:Air Transport Intelligence news
Boeing reveals 60 aircraft deferrals from 2010 and 2011
By Stephen Trimble

Boeing today revealed that 60 aircraft deliveries in 2010 and 2011 have been deferred into the future, and at least another 60 more deferrals are in discussions with airlines.

Les impacts des facturations prévisionnelles "réelles" (pas celles des espoirs infondés), et de l'application rigoureuse des principes comptables (US GAAP / IFRS) ônt dû commencer à 'mordre' !

Boeing chief executive Jim McNerney says the deferrals affect all aircraft types and are dispersed across all geographic regions.

Il y a surement un paquet de B787 là-dedans, aussi, ou à venir dans la "2ème vague de 60" mentionnée ci-dessus !

There has not been a "meaningful" number of deferrals so far in 2009, says McNerney, although he adds there has been at least one or two.

Qu'est-ce qu'il cherche à nous raconter, là ?

"There's more [airlines] moving [orders] out than moving forward," McNerney says.

Cela, ... nous le savions déjà !

Boeing customers instead have cancelled orders for 32 787s so far this year, but for no other aircraft.

Déjà annoncé !

Boeing has offered up to $1 billion in financing to bridge a gap for airlines seeking loans from banks amidst a global credit crisis.

Même Boeing ne peut pas "acheter" ses ventes (livraisons & facturations) de manière illimitée, tout de même !

McNerney contrasted operating strategies between Boeing and Airbus. Airbus significantly increased production rates, while Boeing resisted pressure to raise output.

Pas la peine de chercher à noyer le poisson ! Boeing a une ribambelle de clients plus fauchés que les clients d'Airbus, dans cette partie du cycle !

The company anticipated "someday there may be a softening," McNerney says. "We're working through the over-ordered portion of the backlog. We still think we're in good shape on the production rates."

"Keep thinking" ! Mais il va falloir que Boeing commence à "think about its thinking" ! Il va falloir ajuster la façon de penser ... et d'agir !

http://www.aerocontact.com/actualite_aeronautique_spatiale/ac-boeing-repousse-le-b747-8i-et-enregistre-des-reports-de-livraison~08005.html

Report de lovraison pour le 747-8

Genève EBACE09 : Présentation du BBJ Convertible ! (photos sous le lien)

http://psk.blog.24heures.ch/archive/2009/05/12/geneve-ebace09-presentation-du-bbj-convertible.html

Boeing a annoncé, lors du salon EBACE qui se tient actuellement à Genève, que le BBJ Convertible est maintenant
disponible pour les clients potentiels. Il est désormais possible de disposer de la version Boeing Business Jet reconvertible de passagers à la configuration tout cargo en moins de huit heures.

Capacité multi mission :
Les gouvernements, les entreprises et les privés peuvent par besoin, changer rapidement du mode transport de personnalités, du personnel pour des besoins différents tels que : transport en cas de catastrophe, transport de marchandises ou de chevaux par exemple ! Le BBJ le permet dès aujourd’hui !

BBJ Performance Improvements Set :
Les futurs propriétaires de BBJ qui réceptionneront leur avion à la mi-2011 disposeront d’une nouvelle combinaison moteurs cellule qui permet une diminution de 3% de carburant par apport à l’ancienne version et ceci grâce à une diminution de
la traînée. De plus, les améliorations de dernière génération apportée au moteur CFM56-7B diminue également le bruit du BBJ.

Boeing luxury jet sales drop

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/05/11/daily26.html?ana=from_rss

http://assets.bizjournals.com/story_image/240651-0-0-1.jpg

Boeing executive jet sales have plummeted in the slower economy, according to information from the 2009 European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Geneva, called EBACE2009.

Chicago-based Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) sold eight new personal luxury jets since the show last year but had four orders cancel, leaving a net gain of four. This is an 87 percent drop from the last period
between shows, when Boeing sold 33 of the aircraft.
The bad times for executive aircraft don’t seem to have hurt the Geneva show, which had the third-largest attendance ever, just over 10,000 people. The show runs from May 10 through May 15.
The jets are usually called BBJs when they’re based on Boeing 737s, and VIPs when based on larger airframes. Over the years, the business jet program has generated 198 orders for Boeing representing $7.3 billion.
The new orders were for five 737-based models, one 777 and two 747s. But two other 747s were canceled, as were two 787-based business jets, according to figures released from the show.
In order to attract more business, Boeing introduced two new options at the show: a Boeing Business Jet that quickly converts to a cargo aircraft, dubbed the BBJ C; and a conversion for the overhead space of a 747-8 that will yield eight berths or a lounge area.
The BBJ C. based on a 737, can be converted from luxury to utility in less than eight hours, and can carry 20,000 pounds of cargo.

Stratégie intéressante pour Boeing ! L'Histoire pourrait lui donner raison !
Boeing maintient sa cadence de production des monocouloirs !
Ne pas oublier qu'Airbus a dit récemment qu'il pourrait remonter plus tôt que prévu vers ses rythmes 'habituels' de production pour ses monocouloirs !

Lien :
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/05/22/326916/boeing-stands-by-single-aisle-production-rates.html

DATE:22/05/09. SOURCE:Air Transport Intelligence newsBoeing stands by single aisle production rates
By [url=mailto://]Jon Ostrower[/url]

Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief Scott Carson is reaffirming his commitment to holding 737 production rates even in the face of an unprecedented global economic downturn.
Carson made those comments at Boeing's yearly investor conference on 21 May as he was repeatedly questioned on his company's decision to hold production rates at the same level.

On dirait, donc, une aproche stratégique, mûrement réfléchie.

Members of the investment and financial community expressed caution about the potential for steep cuts that could hurt the airframer if narrowbody rates were not adjusted.

Eux ont exprimé des craintes, sans vraiment réfléchir !

Carson's position remains one of "cautious optimism", as he cites the roughly $270 billion backlog of airplanes as a point of "unparalleled opportunity in the history of jet aviation" for the airframer as it works through the downturn.

Absolument ! Ce carnet de commandes (avions à produire), offre une protection certaine à Boeing!

"This more than anything has protected us from having to make quick decisions that affect both our ability to produce aircraft and our ability to make profit on stable production, we consciously oversold against our production target primarily on the single aisle airplanes," says Carson.

Boeing a "survendu" sa capacité à produire (version "overbooking" du constructeur / "airframer"), pour éviter de top souffrir des annulations qu'ile avaient jugées quasi-inéluctables !

"In the end I think history has borne out that selling aggressively against our production plan and using aggressive sales to mitigate the downside impacts has served us well," he adds.

Oui ! C'était, peut-être, le "bon plan" !

"I remain cautiously optimistic that we have the ability to build through this cycle on the 737", says Carson. "We continue to manage it aggressively, we continue to respond to customers requests for adjustments in schedule and to backfill any of those adjustments with pent-up demand for the product. We think that will work and we remain committed to that course."

Airbus commence à sentir, aussi, que ceci est une stratégie adaptée !
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/05/14/326415/airbus-single-aisle-output-could-revive-next-year.html

To date, Boeing has earned orders for 60 aircraft with 60 cancellations, making the net growth for the company's order book zero for 2009

Ceci réfléchit bien la conjoncture sur le plan commercial ! Mais, ne jamais confondre "order intake" (commandes reçues) avec production !

Petite intervention pertinente de James BELL, CFO (d'excellente facture ! ) de Boeing !

Plus ou mois confirmant ce que j'ai dit ailleurs, en réponse à art_way, sous topic Commandes fermes, LoI et MoU d'avions (aujourd'hui, 24/05/2009 à 12h00), James BELL montre bien l'approché ciblée et circonspecte de Boeing pendant cette période difficile !

Boeing Corporate President and CFO James Bell said Boeing Capital Corp. will provide about $1 billion in financing for new aircraft deliveries in 2009 but expressed confidence that there also are "adequate sources of financing" in traditional credit markets.

Les aides de financement seront bien ciblées, et sélectives. Notamment, pour Boeing, il s'agira de donner la priorité aux clients qu'il ne voudra absolument pas voir reporter leurs dates de livraison [size=12]

He added that it's too early to make an assessment for 2010 but said the company does not plan to be a primary financing source going forward. "There is not the need [for Boeing] to finance aircraft [on a large scale]," he insisted.

D'autant plus que, il y a plusieurs années déjà, Boeing avait pris la décision stratégique de réduire l'envergure de ses opérations de financement, les réduisant de bien plus de 50% !

"If there is a situation where we need to finance 50% of aircraft [we deliver], then there's a problem in the market. . .If we can't figure out how to get these airplanes financed, then there's a fundamental issue about whether these airplanes are needed.

Il n'a aucune intention de faire en sorte que Boeing finance les livraisons, dans le but unique de protéger son marché !

Is it my intention to finance all of the aircraft that we deliver? No."

Difficile d'être plus clair !

Separately, Bell noted that deferral activity remains "at a pretty high level. . .We have a backlog of deferral discussions that we're working our way through."

James BELL sait (et Boeing sait) que "l'Airframer" va avoir à s'occuper / négocier de nombreux reports de dates de livraison,. annulations ! Il faut qu'il travaille là-dessus, avec des solutions sur mesure, et préparées & négociées au coup par coup !

Bonjour, chers tous ! Boeing se serait bien passé de ceci !

Lien :
http://www.industrywatch.com/pages/iw/Story.nsp?story_id=130399432&ID=iw&scategory=Aviation%3AManufacturing&P=&F=&R=&VNC=Business
Cameroon Crash Families Sue Boeing

United Press International, 2009-05-25

Families of 10 of the 114 victims of a 2007 Cameroon plane crash are suing Boeing Co. for allegedly covering up the investigation, documents show.
The bereaved families accuse the Chicago aerospace company of hiding behind the slowness and secrecy of Cameroon government investigators and not moving to prevent looters from walking off with key pieces of evidence at the swampy crash site in Douala, The Times of London reported Monday.

L'allégation est sérieuse, et les détails avancés sont troublants !

A British woman living in Kenya who lost her children's father in the crash told The Times she suspects a faulty altimeter on the Kenya Airways Boeing 737 -- such as the one blamed by Dutch authorities for a crash in Amsterdam in February -- may be to blame, but accused Boeing of letting inefficient Cameroonian investigators make all the decisions in the slow moving probe.

Les FAA et NTSB vont être obligés d'agir !

"Because it happened in Africa and most of the passengers were African, we believe the attitude is that it doesn't matter," said Catherine Fitzgibbon. "Boeing could easily have provided the resources to secure the wreckage but the site was just abandoned."

Les FAA & NTSB (et pourquoi pas la FBI ? ) ne peuvent pas laisser passer cela !

A Boeing spokeswoman told The Times, "It is up to the local authorities to secure the crash site."

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

Cette personne aurait mieux fait de se taire ! Un telle déclaration est irrecevable. Boeing le sait ! Les FAA, NTSB..... et FBI ... le savent, aussi, ainsi que toute la communauté de l'aviation civile !

Réactions ?

Entre 199 et 2009 le temps de fabrication du B 737 ( Renton ) a diminué de moitié, passant à 11 jours.

Avec les améliorations successives et les investissements afférents; le successeur n'est pas pour avant 2020

A I N online :

Boeing now assembles a 737 in 11 days–roughly half the time it took when it implemented lean manufacturing techniques in 1999–at its moving assembly line in Renton, Washington.

If it didn’t become immediately apparent when Boeing began alluding to time frames that
implied a replacement of the 737 might not materialize until 2020, the company’s recent revelations of new set of design enhancements certainly erased any doubts that a direct replacement will have to wait until designers and engineers squeeze all the efficiency and comfort available from the existing narrowbody family.

Boeing estimates the improvements, unveiled in late April during a day of media briefings that included a tour of Boeing’s 737 assembly plant in Renton, Wash., will result in a 2-percent decrease in fuel burn, thanks to aerodynamic refinements and modifications to the CFM56-7B engines. Separately, a new interior called the Boeing Sky will include new LCD lighting, redesigned
sidewalls and window reveals and pivoting overhead bins shaped to add to the openness of the cabin and allow for more roller-bag capacity.

“We think the 737 has a lot of life left in it,” said Boeing 737 chief engineer John Hamilton. “We’re going to continue to look at how we improve this airplane, but for right now we think we’ve got a dynamite partnership with CFM…and we’re going to stick with them.” Boeing plans to use one of Continental Airlines’ 737-800s to flight test engine and airframe drag improvements
starting at the end of 2010.

Called the CFM56-7B Evolution, the engine program will deliver a 1-percent improvement in fuel burn over today’s CFM56 Tech Insertion powerplant. The modification includes changes to the outlet guide vanes, the number and shape of the blades in the high-pressure turbine and the disc. All told, CFM expects to reduce the number of airfoils in the high- and low-pressure turbines by 9
percent.

The company plans to start ground testing the engine in September and begin flight testing at GE Aviation facilities in Victorville, Calif., early next year, in time for expected engine certification in July 2010. Flight testing on a Boeing 737 would start in October 2010, ahead of expected
certification for that airplane in the second quarter of 2011.
Once certified, the Evolution engine will carry the nameplate CFM56-7BE.

http://www.ainonline.com/news/single-news-page/article/737-improvement-plans-erase-thoughts-of-early-replacement/

Bonjour,

Un article de Joseph Weber sur Business Week qui vaut la peine.... :


Boeing's Dreamliner Nears Takeoff

But the 787's R&D costs, plus discounts early buyers are getting, mean Boeing won't
make money on the fuel-sipping plane for several years

When the long-delayed Boeing 787 Dreamliner finally takes wing above Washington State
in its first test flight later this month, much will be riding on its sleek, carbon-fiber back.

Some 56 buyers, ranging from Etihad Airways in the United Arab Emirates to Northwest Airlines, have ordered 866 of the planes—enough to keep Boeing busy for more than a decade.
This state-of-the-art plane, slated to make its first commercial flights with Japan's
All Nippon Airways early next year, will set the Chicago-based manufacturer apart from Airbus and other rivals for years to come.

But one thing the plane won't do is give Boeing much of a financial lift—at least not for several years.

First, Boeing will need to recover its research-and-development costs, estimated at $3.5 billion to $4.5 billion.
What's more, initial customers are expected to pay a discounted price of $130 million to $170 million per plane.
That's far less than what Boeing pulls in on such tried-and-true models as the 747, a bigger plane that can retail for more than $300 million. At first, a Boeing spokesman says, the new plane will be a "zero-margin" affair.

Even when the Dreamliner is up and running, most carriers are likely to stick with a workhorse jet, such as the 737, with seats for 130 to 200 passengers.
The new Dreamliner will be stunning in terms of fuel-saving technology—it burns 20% less fuel than similar planes—and offer such passenger-friendly features as a touch more humidity in the air.
But the twin-aisle plane, with room for 210 to 300 passengers, is best-suited to intercontinental flights. It would make little economic sense to use it on the workaday, short-haul flights that are the mainstays of the airline industry.

More immediately, the Dreamliner will do little to raise overall commercial plane sales, which are slumping for Boeing and Airbus as airlines defer and cancel orders for planes of all
sizes. Even the new jet has felt the pinch. Through June 2 of this year, customers have cancelled 57 orders for Dreamliners and placed 13, for a net reduction of 44. There are 866 of the jets on order.

"A Three-Year Downturn"

The air travel slowdown, which is punishing carriers around the world, looks likely to keep the number of new planes in the skies down for a while.
"This looks like a three-year downturn," says Richard Aboulafia, a vice-president at aerospace consultant the Teal Group. Boeing reported on June 4 that it received just 20
orders for all of its commercial jets in May, down from 67 in May 2008.

Commercial plane sales are likely to account for as much as $33.7 billion out of Boeing's expected $68.2 billion sales in 2009, BernsteinResearch analysts estimate. But next year the commercial unit's sales will probably slip to $29.7 billion, they add, dragging down Boeing's overall tally to $64.6 billion.
And net income could slide from an expected $3.3 billion this year to $3 billion in 2010.

Nonetheless, investors appear to be excited about the Dreamliner's prospects—as well as by reports that United Airlines may order as many as 150 planes from either Boeing or
Airbus this fall. Investors have bid Boeing's share price up to about 50, the highest it has traded since last fall and up sharply from about 29 in March. Of course, Boeing shares fetched more than 107 in the fall of 2007.

The company expects to roll out just a half-dozen of the Dreamliners this year for testing.

Then, once it is cleared to fly commercially, Boeing is expected to deliver about 15 to
carriers next year. The company says it will ramp up manufacturing to produce as many as 10 planes a month by the end of 2012, though analysts are skeptical of that aggressive timetable. Bernstein analyst Douglas Harned suggests the 10-per-month rate is more likely by mid-2013; he expects only about 60 of the planes to leave factories in 2012. Says Harned: "The manufacturing processes used to produce these aircraft are new, and the ability to reach 2012 production rates has not yet been demonstrated."


Boeing management contends it can meet the production time lines. Even though the
plane is already two years late and still must convince regulators that it will be airworthy for the decades of service each is likely to see, executives argue that they have solved the supply-chain problems that dogged the program.
"The airplane will fly in June, and we will embark on the flight-test program," Chief Executive Officer James McNerney Jr. said at a recent investor conference. Afterward the company will increase production to the 10-per-month rate. Says McNerney: "We think that's manageable."

Do airlines need new planes?

With airlines struggling with overcapacity and tight credit, Boeing will be hard-pressed to move more planes of any kind.
The company has trimmed production plans for this year and is cutting its workforce by some 10,000 jobs, largely because of lackluster demand.

BernsteinResearch figures the company will deliver just 386 planes of all sorts next year, down from an expected 456 this year. The firm estimates that Boeing will deliver only 301 models of its most popular plane, the 737, compared with an expected 358 this year. "The real issue is: Do the airlines need the airplanes? In 2010 we believe they do not," says Harned. Of course, analysts may have to rework their projections if orders such as the
expected one by United come through.

Regrettably for Boeing, it likely won't be able to rely on defense sales to pick up the slack of commercial sales.
The Obama Administration, like the Bush Administration before it, wants to cancel or curtail some major programs Boeing supplies, such as C-17 transport planes. Members of Congress, fretting about constituents who work at defense plants, have been restoring funds for the big transports, but it's not clear that will continue.

Boeing also recently lost a potentially healthy revenue source when Washington shelved plans for combat search-and-rescue helicopters, sending them the way of the curtailed F-22 Raptor fighter jets, on which Boeing is a subcontractor.

The Defense Dept. is restructuring and probably downsizing the Army's so-called future combat systems program, in which Boeing and San Diego-based SAIC are the top managers.
And the fate of a long-sought-after airborne refueling tanker plane is up in the air until at least later this summer. Add it all up, and BernsteinResearch expects Boeing's defense sales overall to rise from $33.6 billion this year to about $34 billion next year thanks to programs already in place, but then slide for at least a couple of years.

McNerney's game plan to deal with the defense changes is ambitious. He intends to diversify Boeing's sales, pitching more C-17s to allies such as Australia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and the U.K., along with other NATO countries.

He is also selling F-15 fighter jets to Singapore and South Korea. At home he wants Boeing to move aggressively into areas such as cybersecurity, where Boeing recently made some acquisitions in the software area, along with homeland security and unmanned flight systems. The company is also betting it can sell more Chinook and Apache helicopters, which are needed for warfare, and it is working on the computerized "virtual fence" under way for both the Mexican and Canadian borders.

The challenge in all the defense efforts is whether Boeing will reap anywhere near the money it will be losing on fighter planes and other big aircraft that can fetch hundreds of millions of dollars each.

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/jun2009/db2009064_854140_page_2.htm

Mais le contrat des avions ravitailleurs va sauver le soldat Boeing

Bonjour,

Cet article mérite d'être lu, c'est vrai.

Il y manque l'aspect de la bagarre de Boeing contre Lockheed Martin sur le JSF, avec le F 15 Silent Eagle, voir l'article récent de S. Trimble ( qui doit connaitre son monde ) sur Flight.

De la rencontre avec Chris Chadwick, en charge des affaires militaires chez B, il ressort comme argument un coût beaucoup moins élevé du F15SE par rapport au JSF.

Sur le même site de Flight, avec le même M. Trimble, le Gal Heinz du Pentagone réfute en totalité.

Le F15SE s'en prend donc aux prospects export du JSF, à l'exception du Canada ou c'est le F18 qui est proposé.

Dans quelle mesure Boeing est autorisé, ou pas, à prospecter sur les terres du JSF, c'est à dire les pays participants ?.........

Le F 18 est aussi proposé en Australie et au Danemark versus le JSF !

Il doit y avoir un certain malaise au Pentagone ( et ailleurs ? ) sur l'attitude à adopter face au comportement de B.

Boeing ajuste ses lunnettes de vue à long terme !

Lien :

DATE:11/06/09. SOURCE:Flight International
Boeing forecasts lower demand
By Max Kingsley-Jones

Boeing has taken the almost unprecedented move of forecasting lower long-term airliner demand than before, after adjusting its outlook for the current economic turmoil and falls in passenger and cargo growth over the next 20 years.
The airframer's 2009 Current Market Outlook, released today, forecasts 29,000 aircraft will be delivered between now and 2028, more than 1% lower than the 29,400 units forecast last year.
"It's very rare for the number to be lower, it's not happened before in the last 10 years," says Randy Tinseth, who is vice-president marketing at Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

L'Epoque des "fantasmes de Randy BASELER" acédé un peu la place au réalisme !

He says that there are various reasons for the decline: "The base we're starting with is smaller - there are fewer aircraft in the fleet than last year - and growth rates are lower".

Nous le savons depuis longtemps ! Mais il est rassurant de le voir confirmer par Boeing !

The current fleet in last year's outlook was 19,000 aircraft, but this has declined to 18,800 this year due to the impact of the downturn and the escalation in retirements and parked aircraft.
Boeing's assumptions for the long-term growth of the world economy, passengers and airline traffic have declined by a 0.1 percentage point over last year's to 3.1%, 4.1% and 4.9%, respectively. Cargo growth has taken a bigger hit, declining by 0.4 percentage points to 5.4% over last year.

Analyse cohérente.

The result is that the airframer's estimate for the in-service fleet at the end of its forecast has seen a fall, rather than the usual increase, from 35,800 in the 2008 outlook to 35,600.
The other major adjustment this year is Boeing's outlook for very large aircraft demand (passenger and freighters), which it has reduced by almost 25% from 980 in the 2008 outlook. "This is largely due to our adjustment to the cargo growth forecast," says Tinseth.

C'est l'aveu que Boeing n'a pas prévu grand'chose de positif, en réalité, pour le B747-8I !

He says that while the forecast for the demand for new narrowbody and medium widebody freighters is unchanged, the outlook for large freighters (777F, 747-8I, etc) has declined by 150 aircraft to 490. "It's also the first year we have assumed that our competitor won't compete with a new large freighter [ie the A380F]," adds Tinseth.

Hypothèse sans doute raisonnable pour l'A380F !

Bonjour à tous
D'Aerocontact, donc en français

Boeing fait le point sur ses programmes

publié le 22/07/2009 à 18:17, Emilie Drab





La nouvelle livrée du Dreamliner. (photo Boeing)
Boeing atteste qu’il n’est pas en vacances. Avant de publier ses résultats pour le deuxième trimestre, le constructeur américain a décidé le 21 juillet de donner des nouvelles de ses deux programmes phares du moment : le B787 et le B747-8F.

La nouvelle version du Jumbo Jet est le programme qui progresse au meilleur train. L’assemblage du premier exemplaire de l’appareil devrait en effet être achevé cette semaine, avec la jonction des sections avant et arrière du fuselage au caisson central et à la voilure puis celle des stabilisateurs. Le roll-out est prévu pour le mois de septembre et les essais en vol pour le quatrième trimestre.

En revanche, rien de très nouveau du côté du Dreamliner. Boeing a dévoilé une nouvelle livrée spéciale, que porte le cinquième B787 d’essai. Elle reprend le thème qu’arbore le premier appareil et le bleu caractéristique de l’avionneur mais a été considérablement simplifié afin d’économiser du temps et de l’argent sur la peinture.

Cette nouvelle livrée sera également apposée aux appareils d’essais qui ne sont pas encore passés en peinture, c’est-à-dire les troisième, quatrième et sixième. Le deuxième B787 porte en effet déjà la livrée d’All Nippon Airways, la cliente de lancement.

Le 747-8F va t'il voler avant le Dreamliner?

Bonjour à tous,

Il fallait s'y attendre...3 têtes qui roulent...

Bien vu Vector

Boeing
has shuffled the heads of three major divisions, replacing the retiring
Scott Carson at Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) with Jim Albuagh, his
counterpart at Integrated Defense Systems (IDS).
The surprise move that becomes effective on 1 September comes after
Carson's division has struggled with labour strikes and major programme
delays with the 787 and 747-8
during this three-year tenure. Carson also presided over BCA's
record-breaking year of 2007, when the division received orders for
1,413 airliners.
Carson's decision to retire was tied to the latest delay of the 787
programme, which is now running more than two years behind schedule.
"My decision is tied to many factors, but perhaps the most important
reason for me was resetting the schedule on the 787," Carson wrote in
an email sent today to employees. "With this baseline in place the new
leader will have a clear path forward."
By naming Albaugh as Carson's replacement, Boeing shifts an
executive whose career has been spent dominating the defence and space
units that were acquired from Rockwell in 1996 and McDonnell Douglas
in 1997. Albaugh will be succeeded at IDS by Dennis Muilenberg, who
currently leads Boeing's Global Services and Support division.
Albaugh's "programme management and engineering focus will help
ensure the success of BCA's key development and production programs,"
says James McNerney, Boeing president and CEO, adding, "He is the ideal
leader for BCA at this time."
Muilenberg will take over an IDS division that rivals Lockheed Martin
as the largest contractor for the Department of Defense (DOD). But the
division has recently encountered several setbacks, including the
initial loss of 767 tanker contract, which was overturned. The DOD has
also recently sought to cancel the Future Combat Systems programme,
which Muilenberg previously managed for Boeing, and plans to curtail
further development of the 747-based YAL-1 Airborne Laser.
McNerney says that Muilenberg's "experience in technology
integration; track record delivering large-scale programmess on time
and budget; and work with customers in new, developing markets will
help us generate new momentum and long-term growth".
Boeing has not named Muilenberg's replacement.
In a statement emailed today to BCA employees, Albaugh emphasized
the division's heritage as an engineering powerhouse based in the Puget
Sound area of Washington state.
"In its soul, Boeing has always been and remains an engineering
company," Albaugh wrote. "As an engineer I look forward to learning
from and working with you. The heart of this company is the skilled
machinists, technicians and mechanics - true craftsmen and wizards -
who deliver on their promises everyday. I look forward to understanding
what you believe can be done to make the company even better still."
Flightglobal.com's Jon Ostrower contributed to this article.

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/08/31/331679/boeing-shuffles-executives-ranks-albaugh-to-replace.html

Boeing sees potential to re-engine the 737
By [url=mailto://]Jon Ostrower[/url]

Boeing chief executive Jim McNerney believes a re-engined narrowbody is viable in the near term
because of the progress made by engine manufacturers. McNerney
told attendees at the Morgan Stanley Global Industrials Unplugged
Conference in New York in early September that General Electric, Pratt
& Whitney and Rolls-Royce "have some pretty good engines there". Boeing
and arch-rival Airbus maintain that engine technology has been an
important driver in any decision concerning the narrowbody market, as
both airframers seek to deliver 15-20% efficiency gains for operators. McNerney believes that a derivative re-engined 737 would cost in the range of 20-30% of a full development programme.

As a result, he says, "the re-engine case is stronger than I anticipated
it would be, which doesn't mean that that's what we'll decide". Re-engining is a widely discussed possibility for both the A320 and 737, but neither airframer has made any commitments beyond delivering incremental improvements in efficiency. As
Airbus and Boeing have looked at their respective next steps towards a
narrowbody replacement, the targets for entry into service have slid
continually to the right. Three years ago, both airframers
entertained mid-decade availability for next-generation narrowbody
products, but the timeframe has moved to 2020 or beyond at the
earliest, with neither side being the one to blink first. McNerney
guesses "that Boeing and Airbus will jockey for position. Who goes
first will depend less on a cute strategy and more on who matures the
technologies they need." If Boeing decides to "go with a
composite fuselage based on our lead and being able to manage
composites, and think we can get there first, we may decide to go
first. Engine technology will probably be a push," McNerney says, and
airframe technology could be a discriminator, he adds. Referencing the two years of delays endured by Boeing on the 787, McNerney says: "We've learned the hard way on how to design and build composites." But he believes Boeing's composite experience is "really going to pay off when we re-do the 777
and when we take a look at the narrowbody. It's the bleeding edge -
eventually, the innovator's advantage will come back to us. Right now
it hurts like hell." Pratt & Whitney is developing the
PurePower PW1000G geared turbofan engine for entry into service in 2013
on Mitsubishi's MRJ regional jet and later on the Bombardier CSeries
small airliner, the closest competitor to Boeing's 737.

The General Electric-Snecma joint venture CFM is developing the Leap-X
engine scheduled for service readiness by 2016 and has not yet been
selected by an aircraft manufacturer. Rolls-Royce, while not
committing to a new narrowbody engine programme, has explored
developments that could see increases in engine core temperature that
reduce time on wing between overhauls, but deliver overall operating
cost savings through improved fuel efficiency.

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/09/03/331818/boeing-sees-potential-to-re-engine-the-737.html

Boeing table sur un quasi doublement de la flotte mondiale d'ici à 2028
NEW YORK, 10 sept 2009 (AFP)

Le constructeur aéronautique américain Boeing a annoncé jeudi qu'il
tablait sur un quasi doublement de la flotte en service dans le monde,
qui passerait de 18.800 unités en 2008 à 35.600 d'ici à 2028.

http://www.air-cosmos.com/site/afp.php?Id=090910174819.5okci2n7.xml

Impressionnant non ?

Bonjour à tous !

http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/flightblogger/2009/09/breaking-boeing-charleston-vot.html

BREAKING: Boeing Charleston votes in favor of IAM de-certification (Update2)

The machinists at Boeing Charleston have voted against continued representation by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, according to the employee hotline set up to notify the workforce of the result.

Employees voted 68 in favor of continued representation by the IAM and 199 against. A simple majority vote was required to continue the IAM's representation of the Boeing Charleston workforce.

In reaction to the preliminary vote that has yet to be certified by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Boeing spokesman Tim Healy said in a statement it was happy with the outcome and suggested that process was a distraction from the work going on at the facility:

"We are pleased that hourly workers expressed their desire to deal directly with the company on employment matters without any intermediary. We're also pleased that Boeing Charleston can now move forward to focus on excellence and meeting commitments on the 787 program."

According to a report on thestreet.com, IAM spokesman Bob Wood indicated that Boeing involved itself in the vote:

"It's a democratic process. We certainly feel that workers would be better with union representation. It's too bad that Boeing did not stay neutral in the process and let the workers decide."

Healy maintained that the petition to de-certify was driven by employees alone and Boeing had no role in its initiation. Adding that per the rules laid out for a de-certification vote, after the election is scheduled "both sides have a right to communicate their point of view."

Healy said that the initial 2007 vote for representation by the IAM took place prior to Boeing's July acquistion of the Vought Aircraft Industries facility which is responsible for the fabrication and integration of the 787's aft fuselage sections.

The vote may clear the way for Boeing to select the North Charleston, South Carolina site as the location for the second 787 line. A final decision on the line has been based in large part on the relations between Boeing and the IAM, its largest union.

The IAM, which represents the company's more than 25,000 machinists and aerospace workers, went on strike halting production in Boeing's commercial aircraft factories for 57-days during September and October of 2008.

The the vote is expected to be certified by the NLRB within seven days.

Là on touche aux spécificités de l’organisation du travail aux Etats-Unis, dont je ne suis pas spécialiste…

Si je comprends bien, les machinistes de l’usine de Charleston étaient syndiqués et représenté par le syndicat IAM… responsable de la dernière grève de 57 jours à Boeing.
Ils ont votés pour ne plus être représentés par ce syndicat (par qui seront-ils représentés ? plus d’intermédiaires ?)
Ce qui a les implications suivantes :
1) par rapports aux usines de Boeing dans l’état de Washington, dont les machinistes sont syndiqués et représentés par l’IAM, l’usine de Charleston devient plus « simple » à gérer pour Boeing (plus de souplesse, moins de risque de grèves dures).
2) cette nouvelle peut influencer la localisation de la seconde ligne d’assemblage du 787.

J’espère ne pas ne tromper.
Si quelqu’un peut expliquer les choses plus clairement… il sera le bienvenu.

Bonne journée à tous

Très bon résumé Poncho,
Il s'agit des employés horaires et ils n'ont pas pris un gros risque car leurs conditions ne peuvent pas ne pas être alignées sur celles de Seattle. À plus long terme, Boeing pourra jouer un site contre l'autre dans les futures négociations.
Par contre, il reste encore à faire voler le bidule et surtout à l'industrialiser...

Bonsoir à tous,

Et le nouveau patron de la branche militaire de Boeing est... ?
Dennis Muilenburg, 45 ans.
Il remplace, bien sur, Jim Albaugh, 59 ans, nommé à la tête de la division des avions civils. Il a effectué toute sa carrière chez Boeing en y étant entré en 1985 comme ingénieur.
C'est un rajeunissement des cadres dirigeants.

http://www.lefigaro.fr/societes/2009/09/15/04015-20090915ARTFIG00525-boeing-a-designe-le-nouveau-patron-de-sa-division-defense-.php

Amicalement