How Boeing Prioritizes & Strategizes with Digital Technology

As one of the world’s premier designers, manufacturers, and suppliers of airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles, Arlington Virginia based Boeing understand all too well the potential of the latest technology to guide companies into the next generation of their evolution.

This is why the aerospace pioneer has been investing significant portions of its budget into digital transformation technology such as artificial intelligence, cloud, big data, augmented and virtual reality, and 3D printing, and introducing them into its operations. In fact, Boeing’s ICT spend alone for the year 2021 was estimated to have hit $6.4 billion.

Aside from the obvious applications of these technologies, Boeing’s digital transformation endeavor provides a window into the company’s overall priorities and strategies for the future.

Boeing

According to the 2022 Boeing Digital Transformation Strategies report from GlobalData the greatest proportion of digital transformation spend can be found in data center application – making up nearly half of the total ICT spend.

This tells us, much like other companies in the B2B business, Boeing recognizes the importance of having powerful data capabilities in the modern landscape and is willing to invest big to ensure it has the analytics power to make evidence-based decisions and support them with real and actionable data.

"One focus area has been, from the standpoint of value of integrated data, in the finance area,” said then Director of Business and Supply Chain Systems at Boeing, Howard Alexander. "The key there, is that the finance professional has a seat at the table, and is more than just reporting what has happened; actually involved in helping drive the right decisions, bringing to the table insights that can help management make decisions that are going to gain a better result.”

(Image source: GlobalData)

As you can see from the above figure, much of the remaining ICT spend from Boeing is focused on communications and networking to one degree or another. This tells us that Boeing is likely concerned about siloed operations within its organizational structure and is willing to make significant investment to ensure information flows freely between departments and stakeholders and empowers them to collaborate on projects more effectively.

However, while these certainly demonstrate Boeings priorities and strategic thinking around data and the flow information, the company has also invested in other technologies more directly connected to the manufacture and maintenance of its incredibly complex products.

Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and 3D Printing

VR and AR are making it easier than ever for Boeing engineers to get inside the machines it creates and discover fresh solutions for old problems.

Augmented reality goggles, for example, empower technicians to project schematics and troubleshooting applications directly onto real world assets and use these images to guide repairs and maintenance operations.

Virtual reality equipment brings blueprints and designs into the world of 3D and helps designers visualize new products and equipment in a safe and detailed space. They can move around 3D designs and manipulate images live within the VR software and use these models to make R&D decisions before moving forwards with physical prototyping.

As the fidelity and convenience of 3D printing technology has increased, we have seen it increasingly used to create, not just prototypes, but real working designs. As the prime contractor for the International Space Station (ISS), this technology can make it simpler than ever to design and deliver spare parts over incredible distances. In 2014, the 3D printer aboard the ISS manufactured the first 3D printed object in space and 2023 will see the space station receive its first 3D printer which can create metal objects. Boeing will no doubt be investing further in this area to provide 3D printable parts and spares for the ISS in the future.

Final Thoughts

Boeing’s investment into these technologies demonstrates how the aerospace pioneer is prioritizing and strategizing to bring its R&D into the future and streamline the manufacture and supply of products. With AR, VR, and 3D printing working behind the scenes and advanced data and communication infrastructure driving decision making and collaboration, business objectives can be achieved, and customers supplied more efficiently and effectively than ever before.

"We’re definitely a deeply data-driven business, from the data that’s coming from our products, our airplanes, and other products, from the data that we use to manage our business, it is about the information, and it’s going be the key differentiator in the future, as we develop fairly hot, complex systems that produce a tremendous amount of data, that we can use to make the products better, and also serve the mission of our customers better,” concluded Alexander.

You can hear Senior Manager for eCommerce Portfolio & Strategy at Boeing, Stefen C. Connell speak at B2B Online Chicago 2023, being held in May at the Marriott Chicago Downtown, IL.

Download the agenda today for more information and insights.