aloneincommand
Probably the answer is not in Boeing itself, but in their suppliers and their quality control.
Nowadays, every commercial transaction is pared to the bone. If the customer wants the item but is not prepared to pay the price - then something will be done.
I have equal confidence (as a Pax) in Bs and As because I think that both manufacturer's are EQUALLY capable of cutting corners!! Whether it is the company at the top or one of the myriad suppliers, someone, somewhere, will have or will in the future, cut things too fine.
It
may be that the recent fuel pump problem is a result of such cutting and the customer has found it out in time. If and I stress IF this is the case, then there will come a time when neither supplier or operator will find it and it will be the job of the accident investigator to find the holes in the Swiss cheese.
My reason for saying this is because this is how the commercial world operates these days. I have seen many projects (on the ground) suffer because folks believe that they can get it cheaper and still win. Most of the time - they can. One day, they won't.