Boeing Co. is faced with one of the most difficult problems in business: How and when do you replace a successful product?
The 777 pays Boeing's bills, generating up to $1.2 billion monthly revenue
Important customers want an updated version of the 777
Boeing had called Lars Andersen out of retirement to redesign the 777 in 2010
He had helped design the original 777 in the 1990s
His small team came up with what would be the most efficient commercial airplane ever sold
Boeing made mistakes updating the popular 737 and had billions of dollars in cost overruns on the 787
Boeing needs to conserve resources because of the 787 and 737 costs
The company works with interested customers to find compromises to keep the proposed 777’s cost and price under control
Boeing’s 777 competition at Airbus is behind schedule