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AS9100

Introduction

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NQA is the Aerospace Registrar

The aerospace industry in its continuous effort to improve quality has developed the first international quality management standard specifically for the industry. It has been published in Europe as EN 9100, in the United States as AS9100 and in the Far East as SJAC 9100. This document represents impressive efforts by the aerospace industry to produce a single standard for use across the global aerospace community. The AS9100 standard is further augmented by standards specific to overhaul and repair facilities and aerospace distributors. The AS9110 standard includes all of the requirements of the ISO 9001:2000 standard in addition to requirements those unique requirements for facilities that perform aerospace overhaul and repair. The AS9120 standard also includes all of the requirements of the ISO 9001:2000 standard but is applicable to organizations that procure parts, materials and assemblies and sells these products to a customer in the aerospace industry.


Origins

The new aerospace standard is based on the tested and proven foundation of ISO 9001. It does not attempt to replace this standard but augments it with specific additional requirements necessary to address civil/military aviation and space needs. Other contributing sources are:

  • The preceding documents AS 9000 and TS 157
  • Industry regulatory requirements
  • Government customer standards
  • Contributions from various national and international stakeholders

Striving for Change

In December 1998, the aerospace industry established the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG), with representation from around the world, with the stated objective of establishing and maintaining "a dynamic co-operation based on trust between international aerospace companies on initiatives to make significant improvements in quality and reductions in cost throughout the value stream".

There are a variety of motivators influencing the introduction of the standard; key among these is data provided by the various aviation regulatory agencies expressing the opinion that the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are exercising insufficient control of the supplier base.

To address this shortcoming, the industry co-operated in producing AS9100, the first international quality systems standard specifically developed by and for the aerospace industry. It is the first single standard available for use across the global aerospace community. It includes requirements necessary to address both civil and military aviation and aerospace needs. The industry-developed common quality management system requirements within the standard will ensure a consistency of approach throughout the supply chain, both nationally and internationally.


Benefits

As the OEMs begin to insist on registration to the new standard aerospace suppliers will look to the commercial and other benefits to be gained from accredited registration. These benefits include:

  • Customer confidence that the company reduces commercial risk by embracing aerospace good practice
  • Market confidence that the international standard AS9100 is accepted as a baseline
  • Improved management systems leading to reduced costs, improved efficiency and increased profitability
  • New market opportunities as the AS9100 standard increasingly becomes a customer requirement
  • Improved customer and supplier relationships building a team approach to meeting customers' needs

What's Different?

A review of the aerospace quality management standard quickly reveals the aerospace flavor that has been applied by industry representatives. AS9100 is based on the philosophy of the integration of key aerospace industry concepts with the generic quality management principles contributed by ISO 9001. The additional concepts introduced are:

  • Aerospace industry quality perspective
  • Regulatory agency roles and responsibilities (FAA/JAA, DCMA etc.)
  • First off inspection
  • Aerospace material traceability/accountability systems
  • Subcontractor approval and control requirements
  • Key/critical characteristics control
  • Cascading of quality requirements
  • Foreign object damage
  • Stamp control
  • Non-conforming material, approval and control requirements
  • Sampling inspection requirements and limitations

With these additions AS9100 now provides an excellent industry quality standard. It ensures a consistent quality system approach for industry practices such as:

  • First off inspection
  • Pre-production planning requirements
  • Non-conformance reporting
  • Component proving process
  • Approach to requirements cascade

Quality expectation and interpretation reduction

While the number of additions to ISO 9001 that have been incorporated into AS9100 may appear significant and daunting, it must be recognized that all the basic ISO 9001 requirements are included in full. A typical aerospace company will probably have already addressed many of the key concepts listed above in their existing quality systems. These concepts are not new and are in most cases tried and tested methodologies and accepted aerospace industry practice. An aerospace company's existing ISO 9001 quality management system is unlikely to require significant modification as it will already incorporate many of the tools prescribed by AS EN SJAC 9100.

Download this PDF file which summarizes NQA's Aerospace Registration Services.