boeing.com

The Boeing Company is a major aerospace and defense corporation, originally founded by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years. It merged with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Its international headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois, US since 2001. Boeing is the largest global aircraft manufacturer by revenue, orders and deliveries, and the second-largest aerospace and defense contractor in the world. Boeing is the largest exporter in the United States. Its stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

The Boeing Company
Type	Public (NYSE: BA, TYO: 7661)
Founded	Seattle, Washington (1916)
Headquarters	Chicago, Illinois, US
Key people	W. James McNerney, Jr., CEO J. Michael Luttig, General Counsel
Industry	Aerospace and Defense
Products	Commercial airliners Military aircraft Munitions Space systems Computer Services
Revenue	▲ US$66.38 billion (FY 2007)
Net income	▲ $4.05 billion
Employees	163,851 (2008)
Divisions	Boeing Commercial Airplanes Integrated Defense Systems Others
Subsidiaries	Aviall, Inc. Jeppesen Boeing Australia Boeing Defence UK Boeing Store
Website	Boeing.com

Industrial espionage

In June 2003, Lockheed Martin sued Boeing, alleging that the company had resorted to industrial espionage in 1998 to win the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) competition. Lockheed claimed that the former employee Kenneth Branch, who went to work for McDonnell Douglas and Boeing, passed 25,000 proprietary documents to his new employers. Lockheed argued that these documents allowed Boeing to win 21 of the 28 tendered military satellite launches.

In July 2003, Boeing was penalized, with the Pentagon stripping $1 billion worth of contracts away from the company and awarding them to Lockheed Martin. Furthermore, the company was forbidden to bid for rocket contracts for a twenty-month period, which expired in March 2005.

In early September 2005, it was reported that Boeing was negotiating a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice in which it would pay up to $500 million to cover this and the Darleen Druyun scandal.

Late delivery penalties

After Italy purchased, in December 2002, four aerial refueling tankers from Boeing, the first is scheduled to be delivered in November 2008, three years late. The second is slated for delivery in December 2008, or 21 months late. Boeing expects the third and fourth planes to be delivered at least 16 months and 12 months late, respectively. Boeing and Italy are currently negotiating the size and shape of the penalty Boeing will have to pay for the late deliveries. According to Boeing, the factors contributing to the delay included design changes, expanded US flight testing, greater-than-expected challenges to software integration, and the complexity of getting the plane ready for certification by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Boeing's late delivery of a tanker to Japan in 2007 incurred a penalty "well under $5 million" according to Boeing. Boeing delivered the second aircraft to Japan in March 2008 two days early and the next two aircraft are also expected to be delivered early.

The 92 EU-US Agreement notes

Until the late 70s the US had an almost de facto monopoly in the Large Civil Aircraft (LCA) sector. The Airbus consortium (created in 1969) started competing effectively in the 80s. At that stage the US became concerned about the European competition and the alleged subsidies paid by the European governments for the developments of the early models of the Airbus family. This became a major issue of contention, as the European side was equally concerned by subsidies accruing to US LCA manufacturers through NASA and Defense programs.

The EU and the US started bilateral negotiations for the limitation of government subsidies to the LCA sector in the late 1980s. Negotiations were concluded in 1992 with the signature of the EC-US Agreement on Trade in Large Civil Aircraft which imposes disciplines on government support on both sides of the Atlantic which are significantly stricter than the relevant WTO rules: Notably, the Agreement regulates in detail the forms and limits of government support, prescribes transparency obligations and commits the parties to avoiding trade disputes.

Subsidy disputes

In 2004 the EU and the US agreed to discuss a possible revision of the 1992 EU-US Agreement provided that this would cover all forms of subsidies including those used in the US, and in particular the subsidies for the Boeing 787; the first new aircraft to be launched by Boeing for 14 years. October 2004, the US began legal proceedings at the World Trade Organization by requesting WTO consultations on European launch investment to Airbus. The US also unilaterally withdrew from the 1992 EU-US Agreement.

In October 2004, Boeing filed a complaint at the World Trade Organization (WTO), claiming that Airbus had violated a 1992 bilateral accord when it received what Boeing deems as “unfair” subsidies from several European governments. Airbus retaliated by filing another complaint, contesting that Boeing had also violated the accord when it received tax breaks from the U.S. Government. Moreover, the E.U. also complained that the investment subsidies from Japanese airlines violated the accord.

On January 11, 2005, Boeing and Airbus agreed that they would attempt to find a solution to the dispute outside of the WTO.

However, in June 2005, Boeing and the United States government reopened the trade dispute with the WTO, claiming that Airbus had received illegal subsidies from European governments. Airbus has also retaliated against Boeing, reopening the dispute and also accusing Boeing of receiving subsidies from the US government.

Recent product development

 

The Boeing 787 rollout on July 8, 2007

Boeing has recently achieved several consecutive launches, beginning with the formal launch of the 787 for delivery to All Nippon Airways and Air New Zealand. Rollout of the first 787 occurred on July 8, 2007.

Boeing also received the launch contract from the US Navy for the P-8 Multimission Maritime Aircraft, an anti-submarine warfare patrol aircraft. Several orders for the Wedgetail AEW&C airplanes are expected as well.

Boeing launched the 777 Freighter in May 2005 with an order from Air France. The freighter variant is based on the -200LR. Other customers include FedEx, Emirates Airline, and Air Atlanta Icelandic.

Boeing has achieved above projected orders for its 787 Dreamliner, outselling the rival Airbus A350. A large blow to Airbus came as Emirates Airlines president Tim Clark stated that his airline must be convinced that the 250 to 290-seat A350 would not repeat the "misses" by Airbus in performance and delivery. Emirates has held off ordering either airplane as it tries to convince Boeing to build a larger version of the 787, the 787-10, which is the airline’s preferred option. Air Canada also dealt Airbus a blow by replacing its A330 and A340 fleet with 96 Boeing 777s and 787s.

Boeing officially announced in November 2005 that it would produce a larger variant of the 747, the 747-8, in two models, commencing with the Freighter model for two cargo carriers with firm orders for the aircraft. The second model, dubbed the Intercontinental, would be produced for passenger airlines that Boeing expected would place orders in the near future. Both models of the 747-8 would feature a lengthened fuselage, new, advanced engines and wings, and the incorporation of other technologies developed for the 787.

Boeing has also introduced new extended range versions of the 737. These include the 737-700ER and 737-900ER. The 737-900ER is the latest and will extend the range of the 737-900 to a similar range as the successful 737-800 with the capability to fly more passengers, due to the addition of two extra emergency exits.

 

The record-breaking 777-200LR Worldliner, presented at the Paris Air Show 2005

The 777-200LR Worldliner embarked on a well-received global demonstration tour in the second half of 2005, showing off its capacity to fly farther than any other commercial aircraft. On November 10, 2005, the 777-200LR set a world record for the longest non-stop flight. The plane, which departed from Hong Kong traveling to London, took a longer route, which included flying over the U.S. It flew 11,664 nautical miles (21,601km) during its 22-hour 42-minute flight.

Realizing that increasing numbers of passengers have become reliant on their computers to stay in touch, Boeing introduced Connexion by Boeing, a satellite based Internet connectivity service that promised air travelers unprecedented access to the World Wide Web. The company debuted the product to journalists in 2005, receiving generally favorable reviews. However, facing competition from cheaper options, such as cellular networks, it proved too difficult to sell to most airlines. In August 2006, after a short and unsuccessful search for a buyer for the business, Boeing chose to discontinue the service.

Titanium joint venture with Russia

On August 11, 2006, Boeing announced an agreement to form a joint-venture with the large Russian titanium producer, VSMPO-Avisma for the machining of titanium forgings. On December 27, 2007 Boeing and VSMPO-Avisma created a joint venture Ural Boeing Manufacturing and signed a contract on titanium products deliveries until 2015, with Boeing planning to invest 27 billion dollars in Russia over the next 30 years.

Future concepts

In May 2006, four concept designs being examined by Boeing were outlined in the Seattle Times. Codenamed after the well-known Muppets (the design team is known as the Green Team), the designs concentrated primarily on reducing fuel usage. All four designs illustrated rear-engine layouts.

• "Fozzie" employs open rotors and would offer a lower cruising speed.
• "Beaker" has very thin, long wings, with the ability to partially fold-up to facilitate easier taxiing.
• "Kermit Kruiser" has forward swept wings over which are positioned its engines, with the aim of lowering noise below due to the reflection of the exhaust signature upward.
• "Honeydew" with its delta wing design, resembles a marriage of the flying wing concept and the traditional tube fuselage.

As with most concepts, these designs are only in the exploratory stage intended to help Boeing evaluate the potentials of such radical technologies.

Environment

Environmental record

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts have listed Boeing as the thirteenth-largest corporate producer of air pollution in the United States based on 2002 data. According to the Center for Public Integrity, the United States Environmental Protection Agency has linked Boeing to more than twenty Superfund toxic waste sites. In 2006, the UCLA Center for Environmental Risk Reduction released a study showing that Boeing's Santa Susana Field Laboratory in Ventura, California had been contaminated with toxic and radioactive waste. The study found that air, soil, groundwater, and surface water at the site all contained radionuclides, toxic metals, and dioxins; air and water additionally contained perchlorate, TCE, and hydrazines, while water showed the presence of PCBs as well.

Jet biofuels

Main articles: Global warming, Biofuel, and Algae fuel

The airline industry is responsible for about 11 percent of greenhouse gases emitted by the U.S. transportation sector. Boeing estimates that biofuels could reduce flight-related greenhouse-gas emissions by 60 to 80 percent. The solution would be blending algae fuels with existing jet fuel.

Boeing executives said the company is informally collaborating with leading Brazilian biofuels maker Tecbio, Aquaflow Bionomic of New Zealand and other fuel developers around the world. So far, Boeing has tested six fuels from these companies, and will probably have gone through 20 fuels "by the time we're done evaluating them." Boeing is joining other aviation-related members in the Algal Biomass Organization (ABO).

Political Contributions

Boeing lobby expenditures in 2007 thus far total $4.14 million. In 2006, total of $9.12 million was spent.

Divisions

The two largest divisions are Boeing Commercial Airplanes and the Integrated Defense Systems. Integrated Defense Systems is Boeing's space and defense division.

• Boeing Capital
• Boeing Commercial Airplanes
• Boeing Integrated Defense Systems
• Boeing Shared Services Group
  • Boeing Realty
  • Boeing Travel Management Company
• Engineering, Operations & Technology
  • Phantom Works
  • Intellectual Property Management
  • Information Technology
  • Environment, Health, and Safety

Source: Boeing in Brief

Employment Numbers

Salaries at Boeing

Boeing has numerous engineering positions in locations across the United States and world-wide.  Most regular full-time employees are paid on a salaried basis, with cash bonuses and equity playing a part in total compensation for many roles.  Below are Boeing salary details for common Boeing jobs:

• Boeing Systems Engineer salary - $90,908 (Average, USD)
• Boeing Software Engineer salary - $80,639 (Average, USD)
• Boeing Mechanical Engineer salary - $76,171 (Average, USD)
• Boeing Project Manager salary - $72,394 (Average, USD)
• Boeing Design engineer salary - $78,111 (Average, USD)

Interviewing at Boeing

The Boeing interview process can consist of Phone, 1:1, and group/panel interviews and some candidates report drug tests and background checks as well.  Most candidates describe their Boeing interview as a "Positive" experience (70%) and of "Average" difficulty (3.0 out of 5) compared to other interviews.

Corporate governance

This article uses content from http://www.wikipedia.org