We Design and Implement Quality Management Systems to Meet the Requirements of AS9100 Certification, Revision C

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This standard AS9100 includes ISO 9001 quality management system requirements and specifies additional requirements for a quality management system for the aerospace industry. The additional aerospace requirements emphasize that the quality management system requirements specified in this standard AS9100 are complementary (not alternative) to contractual and applicable law and regulatory requirements.

This International Standard AS9100 specifies requirements for a quality management system where an organization a) needs to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide product that meets customer and applicable regulatory requirements, and b) aims to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of the system, including processes for continual improvement of the system and the assurance of conformity to customer and applicable regulatory requirements.

AS9100 Revision C Summary of Changes

Clause 1.1 (Scope) ADDITION
Scope extended beyond Aviation & Space to now include Defense

Clause 3 (New Definitions) ADDITION
Risk - an undesirable situation or circumstance that has both a likelihood of occurring and a potentially negative consequence. (Key to applying Risk Management)

Special Requirements - Those requirements which have high risks to being achieved thus, requiring their inclusion in the risk management process. Factors include:

• Product or Process Complexity
• Past Experience
• Product or Process Maturity

Critical Items - Those items having significant effect on the product realization and use of the product; including safety, performance, form, fit, function, producibility, service life, etc.; that require specific actions to ensure they are adequately managed. Examples include:

• Safety Critical Items
• Fracture Critical Items
• Mission Critical Items
• Key Characteristics

Clause 4.2.2 (Quality Manual Relationships) DELETION
Delete requirement to create a document showing the relationship between AS9100 requirements and the organizations documented procedures.

NOTE: Auditors need to identify appropriate documented procedures as an inherent part of the audit

Clauses 5.2 (Customer Focus/Satisfaction) ADDITION
Management responsibility for measuring 'product conformity' and 'on-time delivery' and for taking appropriate remedial actions

Requirement to evaluate customer satisfaction using specific QMS information, then develop plans that address deficiencies

Clause 7.1.1 (Project Management) ADDITION
New requirement for planning and managing product realization in a structured and controlled way to meet requirements at acceptable risk, within resource and schedule constraints.

Clause 7.1.2 (Risk Management) ADDITION

New requirement to implement a risk management process applicable to the product and organization covering: responsibility, criteria, mitigation & acceptance

Clause 7.1.3 (Configuration Management) Moved from 4.3
Structured in line with ISO 10007 requirements

Clause 7.1.4 (Work Transfer) Moved from 7.5
The organization must have a process to plan and control the transfer activities Expanded to cover permanent transfer

Clause 7.4.1 (Recognition of Supplier Quality Data) REVISION
Objective and reliable data from external sources may be used during supplier selection and evaluation

Clause 7.4.3 (Validation of Test Reports) DELETION
Where the organization utilizes test reports to verify purchased product, the data in those reports shall be acceptable per applicable specifications. The organization shall periodically validate test reports for raw material.

Clause 7.5.1.1 (Process Verification) Moved from 8.2.4.2
Requirement to validate the production processes, documentation and tooling are capable of producing parts and assemblies that meet requirements. This process shall be repeated when changes occur that invalidate the original results (e.g. engineering or manufacturing processes changes).

Clause 8.2.2 (Detailed Tools and Techniques) DELETION
Redundant to ISO 9001 text, too prescriptive.

Clause 8.2.4 (Sampling Inspection) REVISION
When the organization uses sampling inspection as a means of product acceptance, the sampling plan shall be justified on the basis of recognized statistical principles and appropriate for use (i.e., matching the sampling plan to the criticality of the product and to the process capability).

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. 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.

AS9100 was released in October, 1999, by the Society of Automotive Engineers and the European Association of Aerospace Industries. AS9100 is a widely adopted and standardized quality management system for the aerospace industry.

AS9100 replaces the earlier AS9000 and fully incorporates the entirety of the current version of ISO 9000, while adding additional requirements relating to quality and safety. Major aerospace manufacturers and suppliers worldwide require compliance and/or registration to AS9100 as a condition of doing business with them.

During the rewrite of ISO 9000 for the year 2000 release, the AS group 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 IAQG Sanctioned Aerospace Auditor Transition Training was released May 1, 2010. The International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG) is a cooperative global organization of companies providing aviation, space and defense products and services. The IAQG is committed to achieving significant performance improvements through the development of standards, industry oversight and guidance materials for use throughout the supply chain.

The IAQG is sponsored by three bodies and three sectors:

• SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers)
• ASD (Aerospace and Defense Industries Association of Europe)
• SJAC (Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies)
• Americas (AAQG) – North, Central & South America
• Europe (EAQG) - Europe, Middle East, Russia & Africa
• Asia-Pacific (APAQG) - Asia and Oceania