By Bob Parsons, NQA Aerospace Business Unit Director

The AS9100C standard (also referred to as AS9100:2009) has been published but now what?  You are not alone if you are confused about what comes next.  Like you, most of our customers are in the process of trying to figure out how and when to roll out this standard within their organization and the following information should bring clarity to this subject.

If the standard is published, why can’t I get certified to AS9100C now?

Before any company can be certified to the AS9100C standard, the aerospace industry must complete these milestones:

• The AS9104-1 standard must be published (expected spring 2010)
• The AS9101D standard (checklist) must be published (expected Spring 2010)
• The AS9100C/AS9101D course for certification body auditors (NQA auditors) must be developed, vetted and made available for use by certification bodies (expected by 30 April 2010)
• Certification body auditors must attend this course, pass it, submit their applications to RABQSA and get approved (we expect that to happen over the summer and fall of 2010)
• NQA must submit an application to ANAB and then be audited before we can be accredited to perform audits to AS9100C (we expect that to happen early summer of 2010)

Once all of the above tasks are completed, NQA will be able to conduct audits to the requirements of AS9100 revision C.

As to when your company must transition to this new standard, all AS9100 audits after July 1^st, 2011 must be to AS9100C and that by July 1^st, 2012, AS9100B will cease to exist and all registrations for AS9100 must be to revision C of the standard.

Ok, what does that mean for my company?

In light of the timelines described above, what this means for our clients is this:

• Companies that want to upgrade during a re-assessment or surveillance audit between now and mid 2010 will be audited to AS9100B
• Companies that want to upgrade during a re-assessment or surveillance audit between mid 2010 and the end of 2010 may be able to be audited to AS9100C but that depends on the availability of auditors that have taken the AS9100C course
• Companies that want to upgrade during a re-assessment or surveillance audit after January 2011 should be able to be audited to AS9100C without any impediments
• All audits after July 1^st, 2011 must be to AS9100C
• All AS9100 registered companies must be registered to the AS9100C standard by July 1^st, 2012

If your company is currently registered to AS9100

Once you make the decision to upgrade to AS9100C during either a surveillance or tri-annual re-assessment audit, additional audit days will be required above and beyond those of your surveillance or re-assessment audit. The reason for the added days is that in addition to the regularly scheduled required audit days (surveillance or re-assessment), there must be additional time to assess your quality system against the new requirements of AS9100C. Please contact your NQA Client Support Representative to determine how many additional audit days are required for your company to upgrade to this new standard.

If your company is currently registered to a non-aerospace related standard (like ISO 9001:2008) or not registered to any standard at all

Please contact NQA Business Development so that we may determine the number of audit days required to upgrade your company to AS9100C.

What should I do next?

Before your company transitions to the AS9100C standard, you must complete the following steps (at a minimum):

• Implement the requirements of AS9100C into your quality management system
• Perform a gap analysis to identify potential problem areas
• Verify the implementation of your revised quality system by:
  • Conducting internal audits to this new standard
  • Conducting a management review of your revised quality management system
  • Ensuring appropriate personnel are competent on these new requirements
  • Identifying and implementing corrective actions so that your quality system addresses and adheres to the new requirements

A word of caution!

The AS9100B and AS9100C standards are very similar but there are some differences.  The AS9100C standard adds many new requirements and introduces a number of new terms that were not in AS9100B but it also omits a number of requirements.  For example, the requirement for an organization to periodically validate test reports for raw material is no longer required by revision C of the standard and for those AS9100 registered organizations that want to get a head start on revision C of the standard, these omissions can be problematic.

The reason this approach can cause a problem is that many companies that are currently registered to revision B of the standard have begun the process of implementing the additional requirements of revision C, a recommended course of action.  Care must be taken though since as mentioned above, not all of the requirements of revision B are also included in revision C.  Therefore, those requirements omitted from revision C must still be adhered to until your company has successfully passed an AS9100C audit by NQA.  Only then can you drop these requirements if you so desire.

Going forward and at your earliest convenience please let your CSR and/or auditor know your intentions regarding an upgrade to AS9100C.  In the interim, we are recommending that you begin familiarizing yourselves with the requirements of AS9100C.

If you have any questions feel free to contact NQA’s Aerospace Business Unit Director, Bob Parsons, at RParsons@nqa-usa.com or at 978-635-9256 ext. 233.

NQA will be hosting a free webinar in the new year, aimed at helping clients prepare for the upcoming transition to the newest revision to the AS9100 standard. Discussion will include information on the timeline for transition, requirements that must be met prior to transitioning, and potential transition scenarios and implications. It is recommended for companies who are currently registered to the AS9100B standard, those who are planning on transitioning within the next 12 months, and also for quality professionals interested in learning more about the new standard.

The webinar will take place on January 27th, at 2:00 p.m. EST. Details can be found on the NQA website.

The AS9100C standard has been published and many of our customers and consultants are trying to figure out how/when to roll out this standard.  Therefore, here is the latest information on what has to happen before we can begin auditing to that standard:
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