AS9100 Certification Process and How It Benefits Aerospace Manufacturers

This article explains the process of achieving the AS9100 certification and its benefits to aerospace manufacturing companies which include aircraft, spacecraft, and defense craft manufacturing businesses.

Quality is the foremost concern for aerospace manufacturers to address which is why they need the most competent and comprehensive Quality Management System (QMS). There are numerous issues that determine the quality of aerospace products or services. They are safety, consistency, sustainability, shorter delivery times, and affordable prices for aerospace products or parts. While manufacturing companies must meet all these to satisfy the high demands of customers, the AS9100 certification standard helps them to assure that. The certification firstly calls for the implementation of a feasible and strong QMS that takes care of their quality assurance issues. Secondly, it also gives them international recognition and helps to demonstrate their quality commitment which strengthens their ties with customers and partners.

Needless to say, the AS9100 certification is an indispensable key for aerospace companies to enter the global market and get recognized as reliable suppliers. The following section explains the requisite steps needed for aerospace manufacturers to achieve the certification and what advantages they can have thereafter.

5-Step Checklist for the AS9100 Certification Process

1. Initial Consultation

A manufacturer first should seek consultation from an expert certification agency to comprehend and clarify the requirements of the AS9100 standard. They should ask as many questions as possible to understand how to meet them with their QMS. Consultation with aerospace-specific quality assurance experts is also necessary to plan and determine the next course of action. How and within what time the implementation should be completed, what are the specifications of QMS, what changes should be made in manufacturing practices, and how the preliminary audit or gap analysis should be conducted. The gap analysis helps in identifying the gaps in your QMS against the AS9100 requirements by evaluating the QMS closely. The manufacturers should discuss all these with the consulting partner.

2. Documentation Development and Approval

Every QMS needs to be formally established with a written manual to ensure successful certification. The documentation is also helpful to describe the QMS to the employees and their roles. Along with the QMS description, the contents of the documentation should also mention the day-to-day operations of the manufacturing business.

3. Implementation

This is the main step where a manufacturer needs to train and educate the employees to work with the AS9100 quality management system. The implementation should be in line with the documented system and training is necessary to make sure that employees are able to execute all its processes while meeting all the standard’s requirements.

4. External Certification Audit

Following the implementation of the QMS, the manufacturer needs to contact a certification body to come and conduct an audit. The audit helps in identifying any discrepancies in the QMS as well as nonconformity issues with the AS9100 standard. The auditors would subsequently provide tips for correcting every issue found.

5. Certification and Its Maintenance

When the audit is done, a time is given to rectify the issues (if there are any). After the time period, the auditors follow up to ensure all corrective actions have been taken and present the certificate to the manufacturing company.

The certification maintenance is a crucial aspect that every manufacturing firm should keep in mind. They need to run surveillance checks or audits in 6 months intervals to assure its consistency and compliance.

Benefits of Getting AS9100 Certification at a Glance

Though the primary objective of the AS9100 certification is to help aerospace manufacturing companies to establish a strong QMS, it offers widespread advantages to them.

• The manufacturers get access to the group of OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers).
• The manufacturers get approval as a global and reliable supplier which increases their potential of sales.
• There is regular monitoring of the processes and quality control practices to ensure the validity of the certification, which ensures their continual improvement.
• A QMS results in operational efficiency which helps in sufficient cost savings and reduction of errors/mistakes.
• It becomes easy to identify and eliminate vulnerabilities in the supply chain. This helps in preventing defective and counterfeit products or parts.

Bottom Line

Quality along with safety and sustainability of the products are the top concerns of quality management in the aerospace sector. The AS9100 certification ensures the implementation of an all-inclusive QMS that takes care of their processes and ensures quality management in the supply chain. The manufacturers also need the certification to demonstrate to their customers that they meet the international regulations to make their products top-notch and unbeatable in the industry. It helps to win access to the international market and expand the opportunities for sales.