Spirit, Boeing celebrate rapid tornado recovery

Daniel McCoy / WBJ

Spirit AeroSystems Inc. employees celebrated with Boeing Co. leaders Monday the company's recovery from an April 14 tornado.

On Saturday, April 14, after an EF3 tornado ripped through Spirit AeroSystems Inc.? ? Spirit AeroSystems Inc. Latest from The Business Journals Boeing 747 loses luster as airliner market shiftsBoeing hopes to solidify 1,000 MAX orders by year?s endBoeing 787 skips modification center for the first time Follow this company , many feared it would mean major delays in production.

Once all employees were accounted for ? none were hurt in the storm ? the company began the task of bouncing back, with an audacious goal of resuming production in a week.

Spirit (NYSE: SPR) accomplished that goal, resuming full production by April 23. Continued recovery efforts allowed the company to return to regular shipping schedules by May 31.

The result: Spirit?s largest customer, the Boeing Co? ? Boeing Co Latest from The Business Journals Boeing expands Chinese training businessThree companies bid for .9B fighter dealThree firms bidding for .9B fighter deal Follow this company ., didn?t have to delay a single aircraft delivery due to time lost to the tornado.

Boeing (NYSE: BA) on Monday hosted a special event at Spirit celebrating the company?s recovery efforts, an event attended by thousands of first-shift Spirit workers.

Spirit CEO Jeff Turner said he vividly remembers his heart sinking on the night of the storm when it became apparent Spirit was going to be hit.

?But what I will never forget,? Turner said, ?is what happened after the storm. You guys are awesome.?

Turner said that shortly after the storm he heard a radio broadcast about words people think are overused. ?Awesome? was at the top of the list.

?But ?awesome? is the only word to describe what has happened here,? Turner said.

The recovery was daunting, and there is still work to be done, Turner said. But if it was critical to production it was fixed quickly.

Mike King, COO at Spirit, gave a good sense of how it became apparent what the company was up against as he and Turner toured the facilities the day after the storm.

?I would go into a building, and I?d be glad that it was dark,? King said. ?That?s because I knew the building had a roof.?

Daniel covers aviation, manufacturing, energy, car dealers.

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