Aircraft manufacturer Boeing buys supplier Spirit
Boeing, the US aircraft manufacturer, will acquire key supplier Spirit Aerosystems against the backdrop of a increase in technical issues. Boeing will pay 4.7 billion Dollars for the takeover, the company announced. The price reportedly rises to 8.3 billion Dollars when Spirit's debts, which will transfer to Boeing, are factored in. A part of Spirit also goes to the European manufacturer Airbus, which is also a customer of Spirit.
Boeing and Spirit confirmed in early March that there were talks for Spirit's re-integration into the manufacturer's consortium. Spirit Aerosystems was founded by Boeing in 2005, with Boeing then outsourcing a series of production steps to the new company. Boeing was previously the largest customer of Spirit and sourced mainly fuselages from there.
However, Spirit has been under close scrutiny since an incident involving a Boeing 737 MAX 9 from Alaska Airlines in early January. During the flight, a part of the plane's fuselage separated. The US aviation authority FAA identified issues in Boeing and Spirit's control systems. These and other technical problems are currently putting significant pressure on Boeing.
"We believe that this agreement is in the best interest of travelers, our customers, Spirit and Boeing employees, our shareholders, and our country as a whole," Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said of the takeover. Now, production systems could be better aligned - "with a focus on safety and quality".
Spirit is also an important supplier for Airbus. Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury stated at the end of April that he would "closely monitor" the takeover plans. "We don't want essential work packages to be delivered by our largest and only competitor," Faury emphasized.
Boeing acknowledged the presence of numerous technical issues, some of which were linked to their suppliers, including Spirit Aerosystems. Despite these problems, Boeing viewed the acquisition of Spirit as an answer to enhance production systems and prioritize safety and quality. Airbus, being a significant customer and competitor of Spirit, expressed concerns about the takeover, hoping to prevent essential work packages from being handled solely by their largest supplier.
