4 Reasons Why Aerospace Businesses Need AS9100 Certification

There must be an appropriate quality management system (QMS) for every business, and this article will explain why aerospace manufacturing businesses need to implement a QMS in their complex supply-chain management.

Aerospace engineering is one of the most affluent and fast-progressing industries, with many industries relying on it, such as aviation, defense, and space research. Because of this, aerospace manufacturers are under pressure to meet the high demand for aircraft or spacecraft products and simultaneously ensure their quality and safety. Quality assurance certification is a key to success for manufacturers. There has to be a determined approach to quality management that will help to maintain final product quality amidst the complexities of aircraft designs, use of vast mechanized components or raw materials, intricate processes, and supply chain management.

  

AS9100 is a top-level international standard that formulates a quality management system (QMS) for aerospace manufacturing. Therefore, standard implementation will assist manufacturers with a structured system that will ensure the production of safe and fail-proof products.

   

The following will explain why AS9100 certification is needed by the manufacturers in the aerospace sector-

As a standard requirement, aerospace engineering businesses need to have a configuration management system to establish product lifestyles, starting from production planning to designs and their functioning. This system focuses on bringing consistency into the performance of aircraft/spacecraft products by managing their functional and physical attributes through their lifecycle. 

AS9100 establishes supplier regulations that manufacturers must follow. They need to maintain a separate register for suppliers and third-party vendors where they record the approval status, conditions for approval, supplier performance reviews, and necessary actions for suppliers who do not meet the expected performance level. The QMS is well integrated into the supply chain of the aerospace business and helps to manage the suppliers. This is critical for mitigating the risks of faulty manufacturing, and it provides complete visibility across the supply chain which helps to find any suppliers that provide low-quality materials. 

A QMS is also responsible for verification of purchased products.  Thus, manufacturers need to establish certain inspection and product validation methods to ensure that the purchased equipment meets specific quality requirements.

QMS implementation ensures that each stage in manufacturing, from planning to shipment, is completely regulated and produces conforming and high-quality aerospace products. The product validation process will help manufacturers see whether the products are manufactured in accordance with the agreed configuration. 

The QMS facilitates risk management, which can impact defense missions, air travelling and freights, and space missions, potentially endangering an organization’s reputation. Therefore, an effective risk management system will reliably identify risks and counterfeit parts in the supply chain, mitigating these issues to ensure safety. A QMS helps manufacturers comply with standard requirements for counterfeit parts mitigation, and minimizes other risk incidents, like material shortages. 

This article has explained why an acclaimed quality assurance certification is essential for aerospace manufacturing businesses. AS9100 certification is the most recognized certification for quality assurance and has helped large and small manufacturers in aviation, space and defense adhere to stringent quality and safety requirements. From providing visibility in the entire product lifecycle to assessing risks and ensuring product validation, a QMS has helped manufacturers gain a competitive advantage in their industry. 

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