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The Boeing company goals
Boeing case study analysis
Airbus and boeing case study
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1. Introduction
In the Aviation Industry, there have always been various airframe producers which where competing against each other. Throughout the years, two of them gained the majority of the market share. These two companies are Boeing and Airbus. The American company Boeing has been the market leader for a very long period of time, until Airbus outrunned them for the first time in 2002.
The following paper deals with the History and the development of the competition between the two companies. It will give a brief overview of the different company objections and future market outlooks in relation to the new A380 and Boeing 787 “Dreamliner”.
2. The History of the competition
When William. E. Boeing founded the Boeing Airplane Company, it mainly build small Sport- and Military airplanes. During the Second World War the Aviation Industry grew tremendously. Boeing developed Bombers for the United States, for example the B-29, and helped them to reach supremacy in the air. After the war was over, the company made use of their gained experiences to start building airplanes for the civil air traffic. After already introducing the air-pressure-cabin, Boeing presented the 707, the first Jet-Airplane.
On April 31, 1966 Boeing decided to build an airplane with a capacity for up to 490 people, the Boeing 747. Three years later already, the first “Jumbo” was flying and, like its predecessors it became a huge success for the Boeing Company.
The History of Airbus is a much more recent one. After France and Germany worked on some projects together during the sixties, Airbus Industries was founded in cooperation with the British “Hawker and Sittley” company and the Dutch/German “Fokker” company in 1970. The biggest difference to Boeing was that Airbus allocated their production plants at different locations in France and Germany in order to work more time efficient and support the economy within the areas.
When in 1972 the first Airbus A300 was flying, the company went through a crisis because it couldn’t sell enough airplanes in order to be profitable. Between 1971 and 1977 they only received 33 orders for their airplanes, the same amount Boeing produced in 35 days at that time. But then in 1978, due to positive word of mouth from the airlines which already flew the A300, Airbus received 53 fixed orders and another 41 optional orders. This was the changing point of the company. In 1977 also the British, who up to then backed out of the cooperation due to pressure from the US government, joined Airbus Industries.
It's expected that in the first few years, Boeing will incur more expenses than income. Revenues will come at a later date when the 7E7 planes are delivered. The project will have to be evaluated periodically and management will have to make changes to ensure that the company is profitable based on current and future conditions. The board's prerogative is not to give Airbus a profit sanctuary' by not accepting the project, but rather to maintain or increase its market in the industry even if it's not profitable in the short-run. Boeing has deep pockets and should be willing to challenge its competitors.
The Boeing Company originally started out as the Pacific Aero Products Co., which was founded on July 15, 1916. The name was changed about a year later to The Boeing Airplane Company. The Boeing Company stayed relatively small until World War I when they were selected by Navy officials to produce an order for 50 model C's planes for the war efforts. The company continued to prosper and by the late 1950s, Boeing President William Allen knew that the company had the scientists, the experience and the facilities to lead the company into uncharted territories. He was right, Boeing has emerged as the leading aerospace company in the world today.
The Boeing Corporation is one of the largest manufacturers in the world. Rivaled only by European giant Airbus in the aerospace industry, Boeing is a leader in research, design and manufacture of commercial jet airliners, for commercial, industrial and military customers. Despite enjoying immense success in its market and dominating an industry that solely recognizes engineering excellence, it is crucial for Boeing to ensure continued growth through consistent strategy formulation and execution to avoid falling behind in market share to close and coming rivals.
The Five forces in the airline industry can be easily broken down, firstly the threat of new entrants. Over the last 10 years there has been a huge influx of new low cost companies in Europe such as “Easyjet”, or “Ryan Air” as the low cost niche slowly becomes more full we are seeing less and less entrants since the market has become saturated. The better an airlines brand image, such as British Airways being a recognised name and the use of frequent flier or airmiles schemes the less likely a new entrant with lower prices will be able to break into the market. Next we have Supplier and buyer power in the industry. In terms of the suppliers of aircraft the main two are Airbus and Boeing and so it may seem that this few suppliers would have a lot of power over the airlines, but intact it tends to just increase the competition between the suppliers as they fight for major contracts with the big airlines. The bargaining power of customers in the
United Airlines is one of the largest airlines in the United States and worldwide. Also, it is ranked as the oldest commercial airline that was founded by Walter Varney. United Airlines started as an Air Mail Service and then extended its services to be an Air Carrier. In 1927, William Boeing started his own airline, Boeing Air Transport, and started buying any other air mail companies, which included the Varney’s Air Mail Company. After a while, Boeing started manufacturing aircraft and parts, which allowed him to extend his company to a bigger organization. Also, within Boeing’s company, he bought several airports to expand his organization. In 1929, Boeing’s company has changed its name to be United Aircraft and Transport Corp. (UATC).
Planes have developed immensely through the years. The Wright brothers developed the first plane in 1903.
As aviation matured, airlines, aircraft manufacturers and airport operators merged into giant corporations. When cries of "monopoly" arose, the conglomerates dismantled.
Boeing has looked at everything from the design of the anti-collision lights, to the reduction of small gaps in the airfoil. This has created an aircraft that is extremely aerodynamic and efficient at any task it performs. The 737 was originally created on May 11, 1964, however it wasn’t until November 9, 1964 that production was officially approved. On February 19th 1965 Lufthansa placed its first order for the 737-100, and on the 9th of April 1967 the 737 flew for the first time. In 1970, Boeing had less than 35 orders for the 737 and considered canceling the program.
Airbus and Boeing have developed similar capabilities, and an intense competition to be the number one in aviation. The market is a duopoly market, resulting in a low profit margin for both companies. There is slow industry growth in the aviation industry, and no clear market leader. The barrier to exit is high, which leads to intense rivalry between Airbus and Boeing.
Alliance with Airbus: - May never be possible given their histories. Certainly isn’t good for the air travel industry.
Technology for any aerospace company is important, and this very much holds true for Boeing. Since its inception Boeing has been at the forefront of aviation technology. They introduced the first modern airliner with the Boeing 247 model (http://www.boeing.com/history/boeing/m247.html). During World War II Boeing manufactured the premier bomber planes based on the model 247 the bomber Boeing designed was so good that even their rivals Lockheed Martin, and Douglas aircraft agreed to manufacture them also. Following the end of the war Boeing suffered significant financial losses from their defense division this experience forced the company to reinvent themselves, and that they did. In the 1950s during the Korean War Boeing started to develop guided missiles. This technolog...
In March of 1985, Emirates airlines was created with support from Dubai's royal family. With an investment of 10 million US dollars, Emirates was able to lease a Boeing 737-300 and an Airbus 300B4 for two years ( The Emirates Group). The airline commenced its operations with a new route from Dubai to Karachi on October 25th 1987 and was once again assisted by the royal family who purchased Boeing 727s.
Planning, an imperative part of any business environment, is a daily focus at Boeing Corporation. The organization faces daily challenges to produce products to fit the consumer wants for air travel, comfort, and efficiency. While Boeing deals with a constant need for innovative ideas, it also deals with the challenges of its main competitor Airbus, who has historically been subsidized by many of the European nations to compete with Boeing for a larger share of the market. Boeing management, through excellent planning, an ethics policy that demands large returns for shareholders, and constant work to comply with ever changing legal demands of the industry has led to the constant success of the company. "It was the jet Boeing didn't build that averted what could have become one of the worst crash landings in the company's 91-year history--and cleared Boeing to conquer the skies again. "
Boeing 787 Dreamliner: a timeline of problems - Telegraph. 2014. Boeing 787 Dreamliner: a timeline of problems - Telegraph. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/10207415/Boeing-787-Dreamliner-a-timeline-of-problems.html. [Accessed 27 March 2014].
In 1990 Boeing was set to introduce the 777, the world’s largest and longest haul twin-bodied jet at the time. The 777 would serve the medium and long haul markets like the expanding Asian market. Boeing’s main competitors, Airbus Industries and McDonnell Douglas, had already announced plans to produce airliners that would compete directly with the 777. Analysts believed that the intense competition between the manufacturers would serve to depress prices for the airliners. Lower prices for aircraft would mean lower earnings.