The story: When Boeing delivered its new Dreamliner 787 to All Nippon Airlines last month, it was the culmination of a long and drawn-out process. The first delivery came more than three years after the revolutionary aircraft – its innovation coming both from its use of composite materials and in terms of how the supply chain was managed – was first scheduled.
The challenge: One reason for the delay was an industry-wide shortage of aerospace fasteners, the nuts, bolts, rivets and washers that hold aircraft together. Although fasteners comprise only about 3 per cent of the cost of an aircraft, they became a serious supply-chain issue. […]
