Boeing Paint Ops Manager Fred Morrison on Balancing Maintenance and Production for 737s

Fred Morrison serves as Boeing’s Senior Manager of Paint Operations for the company’s Seattle and Renton, Washington sites, where he oversees the 737 fleet.

“Maintenance is my best friend,” Morrison says. “We all know how crucial maintenance is, yet we also know how essential it is to deliver aircraft on schedule.”

Maintaining a strong partnership between maintenance and production is key to any aviation plant’s success. According to Morrison, the foundation lies in shared goals, clear communication, and cross‑shift skill parity.

“First, we have to agree that neither side works for the other,” he explains. “We share a single objective. As a three‑shift operation, it’s vital that every shift possesses equal skill sets—electricians, millwrights, plumbers—so we can reach peak efficiency without adding unnecessary personnel. Response time and problem‑solving speed are the lifeblood of today’s production environment.”

Collaboration is equally important. “We share information constantly. I can’t imagine our relationship without maintenance team leader Pat Denehey joining our daily morning briefings,” Morrison notes. “Schedules shift rapidly; staying on the same page is essential. When a delivery demand becomes urgent, we may need to bump maintenance. I’ve worked weekends to secure maintenance days for him, and he’s reciprocated by working weekends so I can maintain production time.”

“That’s the core component,” Morrison concludes. “Mutual goals, and everything else follows.”