Boeing’s new boss Kelly Ortberg was yesterday scheduled to meet US workers who produce the company’s strong-selling 737 MAX jet and pledged to be closer to production lines, as he faces the steep task of “restoring trust,” according to a message to employees.
The former Rockwell Collins boss will prioritise meeting workers and talking to suppliers, government officials and regulators as he took over yesterday as head of the US planemaker, which is bleeding cash and beset by problems expected to take years to fix.
Ortberg, 64, said he plans to be based in Seattle, close to Boeing commercial airplane programs such as the MAX produced in the suburb of Renton, Washington. MAX’s production has slowed following a Jan. 5 mid-air panel blowout on a near-new model that triggered a safety crisis.
“Because what we do is complex, I firmly believe that we need to get closer to the production lines and development programmes across the company,” he wrote in the letter. “In fact, I’ll be on the factory floor in Renton today, talking with employees and learning about challenges we need to overcome.”
Ortberg’s to-do list includes mending relationships with airlines and employees, boosting output of MAX jets from about 25 to 38 planes a month by year-end and securing a labour deal to avoid a possible strike this year.
Ortberg also plans to visit employees at Boeing’s key supplier Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, Kansas, next week, according to officials from both companies.
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