AS 9100

AS 9100 is the quality management standard specifically written for the aerospace industry. It had long been considered by some entities, such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), that the ISO 9000 series of standards were inadequate in terms of ensuring quality and safety in the “high risk” aerospace industry. AS9000 was first published in August 1997 and was written with input from a number of large aerospace prime contractors including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and GE Aircraft Engines and was written against the clauses of ISO 9001:1994.

In late 1999, the first revision of AS9100 was published by The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE International) with input from the American Aerospace Quality Group (AAQG) and support from the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG) and the Society of British Aerospace Companies (SBAC).

AS9100 replaces the earlier AS9000 and fully incorporates the entirety of the current version of ISO 9001, while adding additional requirements relating to quality and safety. Major aerospace manufacturers and suppliers worldwide require compliance and/or registration to AS9100.

Prior to the adoption of an aerospace specific quality standard, various corporations typically used ISO 9000 and their own complementary quality documentation/requirements, such as Boeing's D1-9000 or the automotive Q standard. This created a patchwork of competing requirements that were difficult to enforce and/or comply with. As a result the major American aerospace manufacturers combined their efforts to create a single, unified quality standard, resulting in AS9000. Upon the release of AS9000, companies such as Boeing discontinued use of their previous quality supplements in preference to compliance to AS9000.

During the rewrite of ISO 9000 for the year 2000 release, the Aero Space Grouproup worked closely with the ISO organization. As the year 2000 revision of ISO 9000 incorporated major organizational and philosophical changes, AS9000 underwent a rewrite as well. It was released as AS9100 to the international aerospace industry at the same time as the new version of ISO 9000. AS9100 Revision C was released in January, 2009.

The current version of AS9100 aligns the standard with ISO 9001:2008 and has extra requirements regarding Regulatory Compliance and the following aerospace-sector specific requirements:

• Configuration management
• Design phase, design verification, validation and testing processes
• Reliability, maintainability and safety
• Approval and review of subcontractor performance
• Verification of purchased product
• Product identification throughout the product’s life cycle
• Product documentation
• Control of production process changes
• Control of production equipment, tools and numerical control machine programmes
• Control of work performed outside the supplier’s facilities
• Special processes
• Inspection and testing procedures
• Methods, resources and recording
• Corrective action
• Expansion of the internal audit requirements in ISO 9001:2000
• First article inspection
• Servicing, including collecting and analysing data, delivery, investigation and reporting and control of technical documentation
• Review of disposition of non conforming product

As a result, ISO 9001:2000 is totally encompassed within AS9100 with these additional requirements applied specifically addressing aviation safety concerns. It is also the only standard which considers the role of the Regulatory Authorities and so many of the “add-ins” are directly traceable to FAA Regulations FAR Part 21 (Certification Procedures for Products and Parts), Part 39 (Airworthiness Directives) and Part 45 (Identification and Registration Marking).

However it must be remembered that AS9100 remains complementary to contractual and applicable law and regulations. Any business implementing an AS9100 compliant quality system must ensure the additional requirements of their customers, regulatory agencies (FAA, JAA etc) and local, state and national laws are referenced within the systems documentation.

There is now a family of the AS9100 Standards applicable to different areas of the aerospace industry. They are:

AS 9101 - Quality System Assessment (the checklist corresponding to AS9100 rev B)

AS 9102 - Aerospace First Article Inspection Requirements

AS 9104 - Standard for overall control of Aerospace Scheme

AS 9110 - Requirements for Maintenance Organisations

AS 9120 - Requirements for Stockists and Distributors

The Benefits of Implementing AS9100

Implementing AS9100 will motivate staff by defining their key roles and responsibilities. Cost savings can be made through improved efficiency and productivity as product or service deficiencies will be highlighted. From this, improvements can be developed, resulting in less waste, inappropriate or rejected work and fewer complaints. Customers will notice that orders are met consistently, on time and to the correct specification. This can open up the market place to increased opportunities. An additional benefit due to the standardised processes and procedures is the reduction in multiple expectations due to the consistency in verification.

How to Implement AS9100

• Identify the requirements of AS9100 and how they apply to the business involved.
• Establish quality objectives and how they fit in to the operation of the business.
• Produce a documented quality policy indicating how these requirements are satisfied.
• Communicate them throughout the organisation.
• Evaluate the quality policy, its stated objectives and then prioritise requirements to ensure they are met.
• Identify the boundaries of the management system and produce documented procedures as required.
• Ensure these procedures are suitable and adhered to.
• Once developed, undertake internal audits to ensure the system carries on working.

Why Seek Certification to AS9100

• Registration to AS9100 by an accredited registrar shows commitment to quality and customers and a willingness to work towards improving efficiency.
• It demonstrates the existence of an effective quality management system that satisfies the rigours of an independent, external audit and addresses the additional safety, reliability and quality concerns specific to the aerospace industry.
• An AS9100 certificate enhances company image in the eyes of customers, employees and shareholders alike.
• It gives a competitive edge to an organisation’s marketing.

Audit to AS9100

Once all the requirements of AS9100 have been implemented an external audit by a proficient third party auditor is very effective. BDSi audit process will require a thorough review of the quality manuals and procedures. This process involves looking at the company’s commitment to the intent of the standard and evaluation of quality. BDSi uses AS 9101 will be used as the assessment checklist.

Major Changes in AS9100C Revision

The scope of the standard was increased to include the Aviation, Space, and Defense industries, as well to integrate the ISO 9001:2008 changes. BDSi has identified 26 major and minor changes that organizations with an ISO 9001:2008 implementation need to focus on. Revision C has a significant emphasis on Planning and Project Management, including a greater role for Risk Management and Mitigation. Associated with managing risks are terms including Special Requirements, Critical Items and Key Characteristics. Changes include increased emphasis on product quality and on-time delivery performance and formal monitoring of customer satisfaction data.

It was the expectation that all transition activities to the AS9100C standard is completed by July 1, 2011. This includes the training of auditors, changes to the management system, etc. This will allow an year to audit to the AS9100C standard before the previous standard is canceled on July 1, 2012.