Boeing Global Services opened its headquarters in Plano last year with a lot of media attention, and a focus on meeting the needs of government, space, and commercial customers around the globe. President and CEO Stan Deal took time from his busy schedule to answer a few questions about how and why Boeing Global Services chose North Texas for its home. 

Tell us about Boeing Global Services operations here in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Boeing launched its Global Services business unit in July 2017, operating alongside Commercial Airplanes and Defense, Space and Security. This dedicated services business focuses on sustainment needs of government, space, and commercial customers worldwide.

Global Services’ headquarters, located in Plano, is home to approximately 75 employees — and growing — and spans the globe with approximately 20,000 employees. Our business brings innovative services solutions to customers in four key capability areas: Supply Chain, Engineering, Modifications & Maintenance, Digital Aviation & Analytics, and Training & Professional Services.

What excites you most about 2018?

Growth! Our quest to disrupt and rapidly evolve the aerospace services industry in order to capture more of the estimated $2.6 trillion, 10-year service market is an aspirational journey with Plano at the center. We’re off to a great start with more than $16.5 billion in orders in 2017. This represents growth of more than 6 percent from the previous year, and I’m really excited about continuing that trajectory into and beyond 2018.

We see an emerging need and significant near-term growth for digital analytics in particular. Boeing’s digital solutions business is healthy and growing because of the value we bring to our customers. Just one example is our real-time analytics product, Airplane Health Management (AHM), which allows Boeing to evaluate up to 2 million conditions each day to determine when alerts should be generated across nearly 4,400 airplanes. One of our 787 customers tells us they are able to reduce turn times an average of 10 percent by using AHM’s decision-support utilities. This is just the tip of the iceberg. We also partner with our government customers to provide analytics-enabled services that help meet mission requirements. There’s a huge opportunity here to improve aircraft readiness rates and productivity using digital solutions.

What sets Boeing Global Services apart from other businesses in your industry?

Our dedicated services business sets us apart from the competition. Our customers asked for innovative solutions faster while driving down costs, especially in services since 70 percent of platform lifecycle costs are attributed to services. We listened and responded by launching Global Services.

Having a dedicated Services business allows us to cultivate that entrepreneurial spirit and tap into the unlimited innovation within Boeing.

Having a dedicated Services business allows us to cultivate that entrepreneurial spirit and tap into the unlimited innovation within Boeing so we can bring solutions to market within weeks versus years, as we have freed ourselves from the regulated processes necessary for new production. Yet we are The Boeing Company. Our resources and global presence give us the unique ability to positively disrupt the market with unparalleled innovation.

In your site selection process, what tipped the scale in favor of the Plano Legacy West location?  

We could not be more thrilled with Plano and the Legacy West complex and all of the options for dining, shopping, and lodging within walking distance. It is perfect for our employees, as well as for our business partners and customers that visit us. In fact, we are already expanding our footprint with an additional 35,000 square feet to accommodate growth. This added capacity will allow for more than 200 employees at this location.

How does the North Texas area fit into the needs of your employees?

Boeing has been part of a rich pioneering legacy in Texas for more than 70 years. In fact we have approximately 3,700 employees in multiple locations throughout Texas. We also have more than 600 Boeing suppliers in Texas who support an estimated 39,000 direct and indirect jobs and contribute $1.4 billion in economic impact.  And, Boeing employees are active members of the community volunteering thousands of hours in our communities.

Expanding to North Texas was a natural fit for us. This location aligns with our mission to provide uncompromising service to our customers worldwide. Our Global Services headquarters is centrally located within Boeing’s U.S. footprint and has good proximity to major operations for commercial customers and defense partners. Since our customers are dispersed worldwide, the Dallas hub allows us to reach them quickly and efficiently. 

Describe the role that the large aerospace, aviation, and supply chain communities in DFW played in your selection process?  

Global Services has about 20,000 employees in more than 40 states and 70 countries around the world, so the fact that we are centrally positioned and can reach them efficiently via the Dallas hub from this location is important to us. We have Global Services employees located at our Aviall site in Irving and more than 600 Boeing suppliers in Texas, which bring significant strength to our Supply Chain capability.

What innovations within your industry are exciting moving forward?

We are experiencing revelations in technology today that will change the formula and timeline for innovation within and beyond the aerospace industry, including services. Boeing invests to ensure we’re at the forefront of innovation. Ultimately, these advancements and investments should do two things for our customers: increase the efficiency and capability of their platforms, and decrease operational costs. 

We are experiencing revelations in technology today that will change the formula and timeline for innovation within and beyond the aerospace industry, including services.

At a granular level, this could look like a new digital tool that uses data analytics to predict a maintenance issue and then prescribe a comprehensive plan to address it. More broadly, technology advancements like virtual reality and artificial intelligence will augment human decision-making to transform the way maintenance is predicted and performed. Our responsibility is twofold: Invest in the technologies that address our customers’ greatest needs, and enable the talent that will discover, create, and interface with future aerospace technology innovation.

A version of this article previously appeared in the Dallas-Fort Worth Real Estate Review.

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