Even after working on the Boeing C-17 for nearly two decades, Goodrich is still finding ways to do things better.

Goodrich provides the massive landing gear that enables the 174-foot-long C-17 to land on small, austere airfields around the world while carrying a payload of 160,000 pounds. Boeing recently asked Goodrich to revamp the installation of the landing gear by taking on additional assembly work earlier in the manufacturing process at Long Beach, California.

“We saved time and money and it even resulted in more work for Goodrich,” says Bill Stowers, Boeing’s vice president for Supplier Management and Procurement, Integrated Defense Systems. He notes that Goodrich improved a process that was originally begun 17 years ago with the inception of the C-17 program.

“No matter how mature the program, if you put your heads together and develop a strong working relationship, there are always additional opportunities,” Stowers says.

Goodrich products are found on virtually every aircraft Boeing manufactures, both military and commercial, and the relationship between the two companies dates back 70 years, into the pioneer era of aerospace.

“Boeing and Goodrich work very closely together,” Stowers says. “We are capitalizing on each other’s strengths. There is a strong sense of teamwork in the working relationship between our companies.” And, he says, the companies work together from bottom to top: “from manufacturing at the site levels up to the enterprise level.”

Boeing has built its foundation on ethical standards and Stowers believes Goodrich has the same high values: “Sharing values in terms of ethics, quality and trust is extremely important as we align ourselves with our customers and around common goals and objectives.”