Why Bring It All Back Home?
Let’s be frank. Boeing’s move to acquire Spirit AeroSystems isn’t some visionary leap into a new corporate strategy. It’s a retreat. It’s an admission that outsourcing the construction of its fuselages, a decision made two decades ago to supposedly save a few quid, was a monumental error. The constant quality control blunders, from misaligned drill holes to loose bolts, have become a public relations disaster and a logistical headache. You can’t build the world’s most advanced aircraft if the bits you’re sent don’t fit properly.
So, Boeing is doing what any exasperated manager would do. It’s bringing the work back in-house. The idea, of course, is vertical integration. By owning the factory that makes its fuselages, Boeing can, in theory, dictate every last detail of the manufacturing process. It can enforce its own quality standards and, one hopes, put an end to the steady stream of alarming headlines. This whole saga, which you can read more about in our deep dive on the Aerospace Consolidation: Boeing's Spirit Acquisition, is a fascinating case study in a company trying to unscramble an egg.
