LONDON—Boeing remains open to potential acquisitions and partnerships as necessary routes to add more capability and capacity to its aftermarket business.
“We're always looking at things that would be good, valuable additions to the business,” says Chris Raymond, CEO and president of Boeing Global Services (BGS), speaking to press on the eve of the Farnborough Airshow.
In recent years, Boeing has acquired several companies to complement different pillars of its overall business, and Raymond says it should always be looking for “tuck-in” capability and considering “things that we should do inorganically.” Raymond points to last year’s acquisition of U.S.-based flight data analytics provider CloudAhoy by its ForeFlight business as an example of how the airframe manufacturer has recently strengthened its product capabilities—in this case, in the area of electronic flight bags (EFB). ForeFlight followed this up by acquiring Australia-based EFB app OzRunways earlier this year.
In total, Raymond says Boeing has relationships with around 50 MRO providers worldwide. “But that's constantly changing around the world as we have to assess where we need to localize more,” he says.
As it stands, it is in defense MRO where Boeing is currently making its biggest aftermarket investment, Raymond says. Earlier this year, the company opened a new MRO facility in Jacksonville, Florida, to the tune of around $246 million. The MRO facility services Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, KC-46 tankers and F/A-18 jets.
In Jacksonville, Boeing is looking to incorporate a digital focus into its recently opened operation. “We're trying to learn all the lessons we have about digital and how to incorporate some of those things from the start into that MRO,” Raymond says. “It’s early days—we've got our first aircraft inducted in there now. But we'll constantly be evaluating where we need to have more or less capacity and capability.”
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