Boeing Quality Control Process for 737 Max Planes.

The Boeing quality control process for the 737 Max planes has been under scrutiny following the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes. Here’s what we know:

Previous Practices and Issues:

Self-Certification: Boeing had a significant amount of authority in certifying the 737 Max’s airworthiness, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest. [NY1]
FAA Oversight: The FAA, responsible for final approval, was criticized for potentially not having enough oversight during the certification process. [FAA.gov]

Current Efforts and Improvements:

Focus on Compliance: Following the accidents, Boeing has undertaken efforts to ensure stricter compliance with its own quality control protocols throughout the manufacturing process. This includes parts handling, storage, and final assembly. [Fox Business]
Enhanced Inspections: The FAA has also increased its oversight, conducting a comprehensive audit of Boeing’s manufacturing facilities and production processes. [FAA.gov] They’ve expanded their presence at Boeing and are requiring stricter inspections of specific aircraft components.
Third-Party Review: An independent panel of industry experts reviewed Boeing’s Safety Management System (SMS) to identify areas for improvement. [Boeing]

Overall, there seems to be a shift towards a more rigorous quality control process with increased collaboration between Boeing and the FAA.

Quality Control and Continuous Improvement Quotes

“If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what you’re doing.” ~W. Edwards Deming
“The ideas of control and improvements are often confused with one another. This is because quality control and quality improvement are inseparable.” ~Kaoru Ishikawa
“The Toyota style is not to create results by working hard. It is a system that says there is no limit to people’s creativity. People don’t go to Toyota to ‘work’ they go there to ‘think’.” ~Taiichi Ohno, Father of the Toyota Production System
“No one knows the cost of a defective product – don’t tell me you do. You know the cost of replacing it, but not the cost of a dissatisfied customer.” ~W. Edwards Deming
“It’s pretty simple. If you have an environment where people aren’t afraid to speak up, and you listen to them things will get better.” ~Dave Waters
“First, many in Wall Street – a community in which quality control is not prized – will sell investors anything they will buy.” ~Warren Buffett
“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.” ~Steve Jobs
“Declining productivity and quality means your unit production costs stay high but you don’t have as much to sell. Your workers don’t want to be paid less, so to maintain profits, you increase your prices. That’s inflation.” ~W. Edwards Deming