employees after 60 days and will then be eligible for benefits, which include a great retirement plan.
She noted that their quality and delivery scores with Boeing are world-class. The Kaizen culture has helped, and they are now in the Premier Bidder Program. With continued excellence in quality and delivery, the team is hopeful for additional recognition in Boeing’ s 2024 awards.
Kneeland also shared information about an exceptional program that offers support for airplanes grounded due to maintenance issues, known as“ airplane on the ground”( AOG). They are part of the Community Manufacturing Partnership( CMP) and can support the rapid manufacturing of parts. She said it doesn’ t happen that often, but at the time of the interview, they had just had an AOG the week before. One time, they had their CEO drive the part directly to the Everett plant on
26 NORTHWEST AEROSPACE NEWS a weekend so that technicians could install it and get the airplane running.
In the future, Kneeland stated they will continue to formalize their training on how people learn when they have barriers to employment. Firland is also considering adding medical devices to their repertoire. Greene said that in the future, they will continue to employ people with hindrances to employment while maintaining their Kaizen culture. He also noted that he wants to reduce the risk of being concentrated in a single industry while expanding the customer base through diversification. In a few years, Greene hopes to double the employee base in their existing facility.
Boyce concluded,“ We are grateful for all our partners, and Firland is no exception. They, like others, have a great Kaizen— or continuous improvement— culture, very similar to how we work at Boeing. I’ ve seen how they make it a daily practice, involving all employees. They’ ve updated workflows and changed factory