Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun has stepped down from his position by the end of the year following a critical report from the FAA on the company’s safety procedures. The report highlighted issues with quality control and a culture of rushing production within Boeing. In his letter to staff, Calhoun emphasized the importance of prioritizing safety over speed.
Calhoun referenced an incident in January where a door plug blew off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 midair, highlighting the need for a change in approach. He stressed the importance of slowing down production processes to focus on accuracy and quality, and discussed the necessity of addressing the company’s long-standing culture of prioritizing speed over safety and quality control.
Calhoun acknowledged that Boeing has a tendency to prioritize production speed over product quality and emphasized the need to strike a balance in this approach. He pointed out that making necessary changes in the manufacturing process is crucial to ensure alignment between speed, safety, and quality control. In light of heightened scrutiny and the FAA report, Calhoun mentioned that getting Boeing back on track towards stability and recovery is significant.
