A Quick Guide to the AS9100 Aerospace Manufacturing Certification

The aerospace industry is comprised of manufacturers of aviation, space, and defense crafts. Being one of the crucial sectors which comes under public and national interests, safety and quality of products are top concerns for aerospace manufacturers or services provider. The AS9100 certification assists manufacturers to meet all the basic quality regulations at once and comply with safety and security conditions in their every product, parts or subassemblies.  This standard specifically applies to the quality management system (QMS) of aerospace companies. It defines practices, procedural methods, and regulations which are to be applied organization-wide for quality and safety assurance. The requirements of the standard effectively guide every employee at each level of the manufacturing organization to perform more consistently and better meet expectations of customers i.e. aviation companies, space research centers, defense organizations and related institutes.

AS9100 is formed based on the ISO 9001 standard of quality management which is a non-specific standard applying to all generic businesses. AS9100 is formed adding some additional requirements of the QMS that are particularly needed for aerospace supplies. It is for this reason the approach to both certifications is similar, so anyone who knows how to achieve an ISO certification will also know how to get AS9100 certified.

However, keeping in mind those additional requirements which an aerospace manufacturer needs to comply with in the QMS, here is a quick guide.

Understand Aerospace-specific Requirements

The AS9100 standard adds and over 100 additional quality regulations into the ISO 9001 standards and hence they deserve special mention. Every manufacturer in the aerospace industry must be well aware of each requirement and work towards fulfilling them if they seek to achieve higher quality performance. All the regulations pertain to the following areas of manufacturing:

• Special configuration management of aerospace products
• Compulsory risk management practices
• Production of industry-critical items
• Increased focus on delivery of aerospace supplies
• Streamlined product management
• Supplier management and supplier process approval
• Prevention of defective or counterfeit parts
• Product planning and realization

Understanding each of the requirements well is crucial for a manufacturing organization to ensure it achieves complete compliance with the AS9100 standard.

Learn About Modifications Required

The first step for manufacturers to transition their existing quality framework to a certified QMS is learning about the deficiencies and deciding the modifications required. As soon as you understand all the mandatory requirements of AS9100, do a quick assessment of your processes and practices related quality management, pinpoint the missing aspects, and address them in your modified QMS.

Implementation and Execution of QMS

Once you have addressed the shortfalls in your quality management processes and designed a comprehensive QMS encompassing all the AS9100 requirements, it is time to implement the QMS. Successfully doing this across your organization is not easy as it requires participation of organization’s members under the guidance of top management executives. Ideally, implementation should be planned aligning with specific quality goals, achievable objectives, quantifiable performance metrics, and delivery deadlines.

Getting Key People Trained

All management officials as well as quality officials of your manufacturing organization must be provided with appropriate training on operation of QMS according to the AS9100 standard. They should be properly briefed about benefits of its implementation and encouraged about their role in quality compliance. Their role is invaluable for maintaining consistency in your quality management approach and hence they should be trained on how to play their part.

Internal Auditing to Clarify

After you have implemented a QMS underlining all the AS9100 requirements, you need to show that it is complies perfectly with each requirement and is working effectively to address the aerospace quality objectives. Performing an internal audit with help of certification experts or quality officials can help with that. This is fact the last step in the transition process and can help you know whether your QMS is close to certification compliance. Even if it is not compliant, they can point out the issues which need to be corrected.  After corrections, they can review it once more and ensure your organization’s readiness for certification.

Following these simple steps is a sure way to get the AS9100 certification for your aerospace manufacturing firm. Quality compliance is one of the mandatory tools for aerospace manufacturers to ensure safety in whichever public/national services they supply with their products. In fact, public aviation companies, space centers, or defense organizations usually seek for only certified manufacturers to get their products. It is henceforth an essential condition to survive competition in the industry.