Spirit Aero probes parts back to 2010 over records anomalies, sources say
Spirit investigation covers select parts for multiple plane programs since 2010
No potential safety concerns identified, sources say
Spirit Aero to automate CMM report processes within 90 days
By Allison Lampert
Sept 23 (Reuters) -U.S. supplier Spirit AeroSystems SPR.N is investigating years of record-keeping of parts for multiple plane programs, after discovering cases of missing and duplicate paperwork, two industry sources told Reuters.
The Wichita, Kansas-based supplier has checked paperwork and hundreds of thousands of parts dating to 2010, the earliest date for its records, after discovering anomalies last month in reports from a machine that measures parts, one of the sources said.
At this time, Spirit's investigation has not identified any potential safety concerns with the affected parts, said the two sources familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Spirit Aero spokesperson Joe Buccino confirmed Spirit has notified affected customers and is investigating internally.
The missing records accounted for 4% of all records since 2010 on parts measured by a coordinate measuring machine (CMM), which is used to precisely measure parts such as brackets, frames, and beams.
Buccino said in a statement that the company "has discovered a relatively small number of parts delivered where we are unable to produce valid coordinate measuring machine reports, spanning several customer programs since 2010."
The sources provided supplementary details, with one adding that the company is expected to tell customers if parts might need additional inspections or replacement.
Paper trails are critical in aviation. Regulators insist on clear documentation for even minor production changes to assure planes are safe. Missing, duplicate or false paperwork can lead to costly, labor-intensive investigations for manufacturers and suppliers.
Spirit produces aircraft parts for commercial and defense companies including planemaker Airbus AIR.PA and Boeing BA.N, which is set to acquire the company for $4.7 billion.
Boeing declined comment while Airbus was not immediately available for comment.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said its regulations require manufacturers to maintain records for products they produce to ensure they comply with safety standards. The FAA reviews these records as part of safety oversight.
One Spirit customer said they were not concerned because the affected parts were built into a system that has backup measures or redundancies.
The issue was first flagged to Spirit by an employee who detected some anomalies in a few CMM reports, which sparked a broader investigation by Spirit that turned up missing and duplicate reports, one of the sources said. What caused the issue is not clear.
Spirit is moving to automate certain steps to produce and store CMM reports to eliminate any improper actions by human operators. Spirit aims to have this solution in place in the next 90 days, the source said.
Reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal. Additional reporting by David Shepardson and Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis
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Penafian: Entiti XM Group menyediakan perkhidmatan pelaksanaan sahaja dan akses ke Kemudahan Dagangan Atas Talian, yang membolehkan sesorang melihat dan/atau menggunakan kandungan yang ada di dalam atau melalui laman web, tidak bertujuan untuk mengubah atau memperluas, juga tidak mengubah atau mengembangkannya. Akses dan penggunaan tersebut tertakluk kepada: (i) Terma dan Syarat; (ii) Amaran Risiko; dan Penafian Penuh. Oleh itu, kandungan sedemikian disediakan tidak lebih dari sekadar maklumat umum. Terutamanya, perlu diketahui bahawa kandungan Kemudahan Dagangan Atas Talian bukan permintaan, atau tawaran untuk melakukan transaksi dalam pasaran kewangan. Berdagang dalam mana-mana pasaran kewangan melibatkan tahap risiko yang besar terhadap modal anda.
Semua bahan yang diterbitkan di Kemudahan Dagangan Atas Talian kami bertujuan hanya untuk tujuan pendidikan/maklumat dan tidak mengandungi – dan tidak boleh dianggap mengandungi nasihat kewangan, cukai pelaburan atau dagangan dan cadangan, atau rekod harga dagangan kami, atau tawaran, atau permintaan untuk suatu transaksi dalam sebarang instrumen kewangan atau promosi kewangan yang tidak diminta kepada anda.
Sebarang kandungan pihak ketiga serta kandungan yang disediakan oleh XM, seperti pendapat, berita, penyelidikan, analisis, harga, maklumat lain atau pautan ke laman web pihak ketiga yang terdapat dalam laman web ini disediakan berdasarkan "seadanya" sebagai ulasan pasaran umum dan bukanlah nasihat pelaburan. Sesuai dengan apa-apa kandungan yang ditafsir sebagai penyelidikan pelaburan, anda mestilah ambil perhatian dan menerima bahawa kandungan tersebut tidak bertujuan dan tidak sediakan berdasarkan keperluan undang-undang yang direka untuk mempromosikan penyelidikan pelaburan bebas dan oleh itu, ia dianggap sebagai komunikasi pemasaran di bawah peraturan dan undang-undang yang berkaitan. SIla pastikan bahawa anda telah membaca dan memahami Notifikasi mengenai Penyelidikan Pelaburan Bukan Bebas dan Amaran Risiko mengenai maklumat di atas yang boleh diakses di sini.
