Aerospace Standards – Change is in the Air

It was once said that “Progress is impossible without change…” and that rings true in the world of quality management systems.  The ISO 9001:2015 revisions brought about many changes we feel will only improve the certification process. This month we are focusing on the changes to the Aerospace Industry and what we are seeing with the revised ISO AS9100:2016 standards above and beyond ISO.

Here are is an overview of some changes you can expect with the 2016 AS9100 Series Revisions:

• Counterfeit parts with its own clause
• Greater emphasis on the supply chain and sub-tier suppliers
• Raw material testing and data analysis on certs
• Implement a process and criteria for notifying customers regarding changes that affect customer requirements
• Awareness of the product lifecycle (where and how your product is used)
• Employee’s awareness of their contribution to safety and importance of ethical behavior
• Internal audits need to include conformance to statutory and regulatory requirements
• On-time-delivery performance must be an input to management review
• Management review outputs must include decisions and actions related to risks
• Human factors must be considered when determining the root causes of nonconformances

This week simpleQuE President, Jim Lee attended the conference of Americas Aerospace Quality Group (AAQG) and SAE G-14 Standards Committee which is responsible for writing the aerospace quality standards.  This is the last meeting before the release of AS9100, AS9110, AS9120 and AS9101 in October and Jim will be sharing the latest information – right from the source.