Overview
Boeing’s commercial silkscreen shop — the only source for custom cabin artwork across all commercial airplane models — was in chaos. The team was producing highly customized graphics across a wide range of materials and textures, but every order was different. With no standardization or forecast model, production targets shifted daily, deadlines were missed, and the backlog kept growing.
My Role
As the Industrial Engineering lead, I was brought in to untangle the mess:
Diagnosed system bottlenecks and hidden constraints
Facilitated stakeholder collaboration
Designed a roadmap for operational recovery and transformation
I started by interviewing production support staff and analyzing the order lifecycle. What looked like a scheduling issue was actually a visibility problem: no one knew where demand was coming from, how complex orders really were, or how much capacity the shop had.
→ I led a value stream mapping effort to chart the entire process and identify bottlenecks.
Stabilized the System (Short-Term Plan)
I created a leveled build plan by identifying where demand was coming from and smoothing workloads accordingly.
→ I worked directly with floor staff to visualize these changes in a way that made sense in their daily flow.
Planned for the Future (Long-Term Plan)
The real fix required moving from paper-based orders to digital demand forecasting.
→ I created a multi-phase roadmap to standardize complexity, track customer demand, and design a system that could predict and plan orders before they hit the floor.
→ I worked with internal developers to scope a digital tool that aligned with the real-life constraints of the shop.
Reduced daily volatility and backlog stress
Aligned leadership and floor teams around a shared process map
Created the blueprint for a digital scheduling and forecasting system
Helped the team shift from reactive fire-fighting to intentional planning