Aircraft marketing requires an understanding of global supply chains and global job creation and Ray Conner of Boeing is right when he says that buyers do not care where the product is made. This in response to the general jubilation among competitor Airbus folks at opening up a plant in Mobile Alabama that will create 1,00 jobs in nearby Mississippi. While B2B buyers do not care about where the airplane is made, Governments do care about jobs and political leaders in every country, and states withing countries, do want jobs to come their way. Just consider that three of the four gulf states governors attended the Airbus- Mobile Alabama celebration at the Farnborough Air Show according to the Seattle Times report.
Seattle Times is also reporting that Ray Conner the new CEO of Boeing is a "born salesman". And there is a lot of selling to do given that Boeing has 474 orders for the new 737MAX compared to competitor Airbus has 1300 orders for A320Neo. Ray Conner is a Boeing veteran having started as a mechanic on the 727 in 1977 so he knows how exactly aircrafts work and has for several years been involved in supplier management and headed up the commercial supply chain. Obviously Conner understands that countries like China and India love to have jobs created as they buy thousands of airplanes.
The connection between commercial and military aircraft markets is also interesting because in most countries political and government leaders want jobs for their own people. As Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant said " it is a circle of influence," when Airbus was trying to win the US Congress support to get the 2008 Airforce tanker contract when all the Gulf State got together. The next contract went to Boeing in 2011 given the US jobs crisis.
While global sourcing creates jobs in the country of sourcing, assembly creates an industrial base with opportunities for local suppliers that lead to jobs in that location.Understanding global supply chains and job creationare great skills to have if you are involved in aircraft marketing. Contract StratoServe.