In this world, there are many strange things, Boeing's spacecraft cannot return during a space mission, and the final attribution is due to titanium alloy component problems, which is one of the typical cases. According to foreign reports, the United States believes that after investigation, Boeing purchased a batch of titanium alloys produced by counterfeit Chinese companies, which are actually cheaper space aluminum, and the United States applied aluminum alloys to fighters and spacecraft without exhaustive inspection of materials. Of course, this pot Chinese companies will never bear, after all, we have never exported inferior titanium alloy, and India may not be willing to bear it, who let Boeing blindly save costs?
Recently, an even more explosive development has emerged: Boeing has asked suppliers to provide all titanium documents produced by Chinese companies since 2014, after United States found that the false documents provided by intermediaries did not match the "authentic" certification recognized by Chinese companies. Back in February, Boeing asked suppliers to disclose whether they had sourced titanium through distributor Titanium International Group since January 2019. The New York Times reported that distributor Titanium International Group was the first to notice a discrepancy between the titanium it re-exported and its previous supplies, and determined that the documents attached to the titanium were suspected to be counterfeit. Boeing's examination of the so-called certificate of conformity from China confirmed that it was not genuine as recognized by the Chinese manufacturer.
Reuters reported that regulators in United States and Europe announced in June that they were investigating the use of false or incorrect documentation to identify the authenticity of titanium used in parts on some Boeing and Airbus aircraft. Airbus said it was working with authorities to investigate the few titanium parts used on passenger planes such as the A220, A320 and A350.
As a common knowledge, companies in the aerospace industry usually do not repeatedly inspect the metal material of their parts, but rely on clear documentation to prove the reliability of quality. After Boeing was stranded in space, the 737 Max aircraft "opened the door" in the air, and subsequent investigations showed that it was also caused by the use of counterfeit titanium alloy parts. In a letter sent to suppliers in mid-July, Boeing wrote: "In order to be fully compliant, we are now expanding the scope of our request to provide detailed information by August 9." ”
Aerospace-grade titanium is ideal for load-bearing parts such as engine components and landing gear for large aircraft due to its high strength and light weight. Western countries turned to Russia and China for titanium components, and the supply of titanium has been tight since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
So, who is to blame for the quality crisis of titanium alloy supply at Boeing?
Some argue that this is a consequence of India's rampant fraudsters, but the deeper cause is the inevitable result of Boeing's raw material suppliers' pursuit of profit maximization. Back in 2023, for example, jet engine manufacturer CFM disclosed that thousands of its engine components could have been sold by United Kingdom distributors on the basis of forged documents.
The second reason is the tight supply of titanium caused by Western sanctions against Russia. China and Russia produce the vast majority of the world's titanium, and China is the most important consumer of titanium. As a result, the West's blocking of Russia's export of titanium has made the material extremely strained by Western suppliers, and when titanium becomes extremely scarce, the possibility of counterfeiting increases significantly.
The third reason is that Boeing itself lacks a rigorous re-examination system for materials. Boeing wanted to buy cheap titanium alloy, and after buying aluminum alloy from India, it was too lazy to inspect, which eventually led to serious quality problems in aircraft and spacecraft.
Overall, it is not difficult to see from Boeing's investigation of the source of titanium alloys for ten years that there are major problems in the supply chain management of Western aviation companies. The underlying reasons are the excessive pursuit of profit maximization, the imposition of sanctions on Russia, and the lack of a rigorous quality review system.