The Boeing 737, which had just resumed operations in China, was grounded less than 48 hours later.
According to Xinhua News Agency, a Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft suddenly fell off the left hatch after takeoff. After the plane made a forced landing, United Airlines announced that it would require 171 aircraft of the same type to be grounded and inspected, and the European Union also followed up with a response.
After the incident, United Airlines responded that the accident may be related to the installation bolts were not tightened. The Wall Street Journal commented: "In the 80-year history of civil aircraft, this is an extremely rare accident. And Boeing's stock price soon plummeted, and its market value evaporated by 120 billion.
A bolt evaporated Boeing's market value by 120 billion
Boeing has experienced twists and turns in recent years, first several main models such as 737 and 787 were blacklisted by many countries due to accidents, and a total of more than 4,000 orders were canceled, with a loss of 457.1 billion yuan in four years. Later, in the mainland, due to the international situation, Boeing did not receive any orders for 3 years, and its market share was surpassed by Airbus.
Boeing once predicted that the mainland would occupy 20% of the global civil aviation market in the future, and such a huge market share made Boeing eager to regain its strength. Not only did it send high-level officials to China to express its sincerity, but it even restarted the Boeing factory in Zhoushan, China, and was willing to exchange technology for the market.
Today, Boeing has delivered a 737 MAX to Juneyao Airlines. The Wall Street Journal also immediately commented that "Boeing is about to usher in the dawn."
And just when the situation was improving, Boeing was once again caught in a security storm because of a bolt. Air China officials said it would closely monitor the results of the investigation. Until further remedial actions and safety standards are issued, the delivery of Boeing's order will be halted. It is foreseeable that 120 billion evaporation may be just the beginning.
If you want to gain a firm foothold in the market, you have to rely on hard power
In the early years, backed by the national strength of the United States, Boeing became the top brand in the field of civil aviation in one fell swoop. Or the perennial first-mover advantage brings dividends, so that Boeing is a little late aware of the crisis. You must know that now, not only Airbus is catching up, but also the share of the Chinese market has surpassed Boeing, and the domestic C919 is also ready to go, and it is about to form a three-legged era.
On the other hand, Boeing's R&D investment in 2022 will only be 1.14 billion, less than half of Airbus. Nowadays, there are frequent thunderstorms, and the market advantage established over the years may be destroyed. And many traditional American companies seem to be in the same predicament as Boeing. For example, the veteran American company Pfizer, whose top brand "Little Blue Film" once sold 160 million pieces a year, is now besieged by latecomers from all walks of life and cutting-edge technologies such as "Yuweili".
Like Boeing, it has not made any pioneering changes after many years in the market, and many users are no longer satisfied with the single gameplay of Pfizer's original research and its imitations. This just frees up market space for cutting-edge technology. Looking at the introduction page of the e-commerce platform, the above-mentioned "Yuweili" has achieved tens of millions of revenue in China in only half a year through the patented ACT-Mito technology, ranking among the top 3 in related tracks for a long time.
With the help of patented technology, this product has changed the traditional "miracle in 3 seconds" model, aiming to help Yilib, focus on continuous output, and let men fire up in all directions. On e-commerce platforms with a larger proportion of male users, many people have given feedback such as "revisiting the hardness of 20 years old" and "feeling amazing", which has become the first choice for hundreds of thousands of high-net-worth men to repurchase. It is rumored that real estate tycoon Wang Shi is also surrounded by "Royal Willy" science and technology products, I wonder if his 70s can still climb Mount Everest, and he is called a man among men by his wife, whether it has anything to do with it.
The market is by no means based on seniority, and excellent product strength is the key to gaining a foothold. As a latecomer, "Yuveli", with its huge potential, has a tendency to open up subdivided tracks, and it is unstoppable. In the same way, it has been proven that even industry giants like Boeing and Pfizer will not be able to resist the change of market if they stand still.
Safety issues were frequent, and Boeing was kicked off the altar
In just five months, the Boeing 737 series aircraft suffered two major accidents in a row, resulting in a total of 346 unfortunate deaths. According to statistics, this series of events has actually caused Boeing an economic loss of up to 20.7 billion US dollars, and the potential loss may reach 100 billion.
As recently as April last year, some media pointed out that the 737 MAX had manufacturing defects, such as loose bolts on the rudder system. While Boeing insisted at the time that such problems were not enough to pose a safety threat, it remains unclear whether this is related to the emergency hatch falling off incident that is happening today.
Regarding the ensuing safety doubts, although Boeing officially emphasized that "safety is our primary consideration", it is better to say than to do. In recent years, the revenue has plummeted, not only not to wake Boeing, but to prompt it to cut investment in research and development. It sparked a heated public discussion. As the US media commented, Boeing should pay more attention to the aircraft itself.
For Boeing, if it does not make changes, it will not be long before it sits on the throne of the leading civil aircraft.