Could PLM have saved the 737MAX?

Michael Finocchiaro (aka "Fino") hosts a monthly podcast on various PLM topics, and in this episode, he let me take over the controls and moderate a dialog on whether a Digital Thread could have saved two Boeing 737 Max aircraft from crashing, killing all on-board, due to a combination of errors in which automation did not allow pilots to control the aircraft.

See the commentary on LinkedIn.

Intro:

Two decades of digital transformation, yet two tragedies that shook engineering to its core. This week on AI Across the Product Lifecycle, we tackle one question that haunts every OEM:

If Boeing had a robust, end-to-end PLM and Digital Thread, would the 737 MAX disasters ever have happened?

Joining Michael Finocchiaro are some of the sharpest minds in the PLM world:

• Dr Patrick Hillberg, whose “Complexity Beyond Imagination” dissects the cultural and systemic roots of failure.

• Oleg Shilovitsky, Brion Carroll, Martin Eigner, Rob Ferrone, Jos Voskuil, and newcomer Kenn Hartman bring decades of perspective across aerospace, digital threads, and AI-driven engineering.