Engaging Workers Reduces Costs by 55%
American Airlines engaged its mechanics workforce to redesign how their work was organized. Empowered, the mechanics designed a work process that cut the time and effort necessary to completely overhaul one of their airplanes from 800 mechanics working 25 days to 450 mechanics working 13 days. This reduced the cost by 55%.
American Airlines Vice President in charge of the Tulsa maintenance facility Carmine J. Romano stated that engaging the employees "is much more powerful. Now we have the workforce working with us. When we go to implement we have much quicker success". American Airlines is now using this revamped process and their maintenance expertise to service airplanes for other airlines. This new-found service is proving to be very competitive in terms of price and timing of delivery. American Airlines estimates that the new service will generate $100 million in 2007 and $175 million in 2008.
NPR All Things Considered, December 7, 2006
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