Is this more concerning news coming out of Boeing regarding the 787 program or standard hiccups in the development process of a complex and innovative product — only time will tell. While this issue is peanuts relative to analyst reports that some of the 787 suppliers are struggling to meet Boeing specs and timelines. While I am sure that a delay (even a relatively short one of a few months) will not bode well for the Boeing stock I can’t imagine that this will drastically change the Boeing vs. Airbus competitive dynamics as Airbus is a good 2-3 yrs. behind Airbus and has significant resources tied up in the A380 for the forseeable future.
In my humble opinion business schools should start preparing a case study on the turn-around of Boeing which is based on a few key elements—here are a few:
- leapfrog technology aka the 787
- insight that point to point is more important then network
- new supplier model: extension of risk to large suppliers
What do you all think?