On paper, one would think that integrating the supply chains for two maintenance organizations would be easy. Just look for areas where there is duplicated effort and inventory, rationalize those operations and realize the savings. But in practice, it's a very different matter.

Boeing suppliers are developing "a sense of acceptance" that the manufacturer's push for a 15 percent reduction in supply chain costs won't ease up even as the economy improves, an informal survey of several major suppliers by Canaccord Genuity finds. Whether the push will succeed remains to be seen.