Diverse suppliers bring big value to Boeing and their communities

The Boeing supplier network stretches around the globe and includes 12,000 active suppliers – more than 6,000 of them being small and diverse businesses. Out of those numbers, approximately 600 are veteran-owned and approximately 850 are women-owned.

“It is essential that we build strong partnerships with suppliers who share our commitment to safety, quality and integrity, to deliver innovative, high-performing products and services – together,” said JP Ustal, director of Boeing Supplier Development & Diversity. “A diverse and inclusive supply chain enables us to work with companies around the globe who are already ingrained into their communities.”

Boeing’s diverse suppliers shine in terms of competitiveness, agility and innovation. They are small yet mighty. On average, about 51% of them are considered high performers, which are determined by ratings internally measured based on performance, quality, delivery and cost reduction. This is due, in part, to Boeing’s formal supplier diversity program, which has been in place since 1951 to help train, advance and grow the company’s supply base.

King Aerospace Commercial Corporation (KACC), one of the many diverse suppliers Boeing works with, provides maintenance, repair and overhaul services to the Defense, Space & Security and Global Services business units.

As a Boeing 2019 Supplier of the Year recipient and a member of the Department of Defense’s Mentor-Protégé Program, KACC partners with larger companies to help expand their footprint in the defense industrial base. The company is certified as a Historically Underutilized Business Zone, empowering and lifting up the community where their employees live and work.

“Through working with Boeing as part of the Mentor-Protégé Program, we are able to provide opportunities for our employees, local businesses and to all our neighbors in the communities in which we operate, “said Jerry King-Echevarria, chairman and founder of KACC.

In 2019, Boeing partnered with suppliers from 58 countries and all 50 states. The company bought more than 1.7 billion parts for all of its programs and services and spent a total of over $58 billion.

East/West Industries Inc., a woman-owned small business and 2017 recipient of a Supplier of the Year award, spans generations in its New York community. Founded in 1968, the family-owned and operated business provides lifesaving products to the aerospace industry, including Boeing’s CH-47F Chinook, as well as F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet programs.

East/West Industries Inc. prides itself on its outreach to and hiring of veterans. In many cases, these men and women are able to build the same systems they used during their service.

“Our veterans bring an incredible dedication to our product line and commitment to our customers,” said Teresa Ferraro, president of East/West Industries Inc. “It’s a mutually beneficial situation. Our veterans get good paying jobs that they take pride in, and East/West has become an elite supplier to Boeing because of our top quality and on-time performance.”

Boeing honors 2019 Supplier of the Year winners

Boeing presented the 2019 Supplier of the Year awards to companies who demonstrated record performances, continued to advance and support Boeing’s commitment to Operational Excellence, and embodied the enduring values of Safety, Quality and Integrity in their own factories.

Boeing recognized suppliers in 10 categories in 2019, including:

Collaboration Award – King Aerospace Commercial Corporation

Excellence Award – Toray Composite Materials America Inc.

Global Supplier Diversity Award – Northern Valley Machine Inc.

Innovation Award – AMRO Fabricating Corporation

Outstanding Performance Award – Wipro Givon Ltd.

Pathfinder Award – IBM

Production Award – Rossell Techsys [Division of Rossell India Limited]

Safety Award – VECA Electric & Technologies

Support and Services Award – Davidson Technologies Inc.

Sustainability Award – ChemTreat