AS/EN 9100 – Quality management system certification for aerospace

 

What is AS/EN 9100?

AS/EN 9100 is a quality management standard designed for companies specialising in aerospace and defence products, and associated services. The standard builds on the quality management systems requirements and is based on ISO 9001 certification. Rather than defining product quality, AS9100 asks you to control your processes, so your end product meets customer requirements.

Building on from the ISO 9001 standard, AS/EN 9100 adds further requirements specific to the aerospace and defence industries. As a result, common requirements that are applicable on all levels of the supplier chain for organisations worldwide are accurately defined throughout the standard.

Certified organisations can promote themselves as certificate holders in their promotional materials and can include the URS certification logo free of charge.

 

Who requires AS/EN 9100 certification?

AS/EN 9100 is required by a variety of organisations in the Aerospace, Space, and defence industries. Including:  

 

• Original Equipment Manufacturers in the Aerospace industry


• Designers of aerospace parts and those involves in assembling


• Quality management organisations involved with Aerospace manufacturers

How can AS/EN 9100 benefit your business?

With an AS/EN 9100 certification, you can look forward to a wide variety of benefits for your business, including:

 

• Reinforcing competitiveness


• Maintaining and improving your organisations market position


• Reducing costs throughout the business


• Increasing your customers‘ trust in you as a safe supplier of products and services


• Registration in the global database of certified aerospace suppliers Online Aerospace Supplier Information System


• Cost savings


• Increase of business opportunities


• Market acceptance

How can you prepare for AS/EN 9100 Certification?

Although the thought of starting the certification process may seem daunting, there are a variety of steps you can take to make the process to becoming certified far more streamlined:

 

• Read through the standard and learn about the requirements of AS/EN 9100.


• Carry out a gap analysis to determine how compliant your organisation is with the standard, and highlight areas to be improved.


• Determine if any further training is required for staff members and ensure it is completed before starting the implementation of AS/EN 9100.

What are the KPI’s for AS/EN 9100?

There are a range of Key Performance Indicators that you as a client will need to meet in order to maintain your certification. The following points provide a summary of the client requirements set out in the standard:

 

• 9.1 General requirements (EN 9104-001)


• 9.1.1 AQMS certified organizations shall be in conformance with the requirements of this standard. An issue or nonconformance that may affect the integrity of the certification may be cause for application cancellation, or certificate suspension or withdrawal.


• 9.1.2 AQMS certified organizations, that have their AQMS standard certification suspended, shall provide notification to their ASD customers (where known) within 15 days of suspension.
  
  
  
  • NOTE Organizations should also provide notification when their certification is withdrawn.
  
  
  
  


• 9.1.3 AQMS certified organizations shall support ICOP scheme oversight activities to confirm the effectiveness of the CB audit process (reference EN 9104-002).


• 9.1.4 AQMS certified organizations shall allow CBs to publish public data (e.g., information on the AQMS certification and its’ status) and non-public data (e.g., audit results, assessment results, nonconformities, corrective action, scoring) in the OASIS database.


• 9.1.5 AQMS certified organizations shall identify when there is a need to omit information that is proprietary or subject to restrictions, from the audit report, prior to the OASIS database entry.


• 9.1.6 AQMS certified organizations shall appoint and maintain an administrator for the OASIS database responsible for:
  
  
  
  • managing customer access requests for certification audit data in the OASIS database;
  
  
  • providing the e-mail address(es) of the organization’s OASIS database administrator(s);
  
  
  • providing the organization’s contact details, phone, e-mail address, and website, as applicable;
  
  
  • providing access and assign roles/privileges to other users within the organization; and
  
  
  • managing OASIS database feedback generated or received.
  
  
  
  


• 9.1.7 AQMS certified organizations shall support the CB AQMS audit process via direct input of data into the OASIS database, including online corrective action management.


• 9.1.8 AQMS certified organizations shall either provide electronic access to audit results data contained in the OASIS database, or download and distribute audit results data to their ASD customers and regulatory authorities, upon request, unless justification can be provided (e.g., competition, confidentiality, conflict of interest).
  
  
  
  • NOTE 1 AQMS certified organizations should address specific customer requirements with respect to OASIS database access.
  
  
  • NOTE 2 AQMS certified organizations have the option to make information available to all OASIS database users.
  
  
  
  


• 9.1.9 AQMS certified organizations shall work with the CB to resolve any issues regarding access limitations to the organization (e.g., resolve by limiting the scope of certification).


• 9.1.10 AQMS certified organizations shall provide data required by this standard, to their CB prior to initial, surveillance, and recertification audits for the completion of the OCAP analysis.
  
  
  
  • NOTE Failure to provide accurate and timely data may result in the issuance of a nonconformity by the CB and/or prevent certification.
  
  
  
  

What clauses make up the structure of AS/EN 9100?

 

As the AS/EN 9100 certification is based primarily on ISO 9001, it follows the same clause structure. In total, there are 10 clauses that cover all of the requirements needed to achieve certification in AS/EN 9100:

 

Clause 1 – Scope:

This clause defines the scope of the standard and highlights the applicability and focus of the certification.

 

Clause 2 – Normative References

As AS/EN 9100 is based on ISO 9001:2015, this clause highlights ISO 9001:2005 as a normative reference. A thorough understanding of this additional standard is crucial for any organisations applying for AS/EN 9100 .

 

Clause 3 – Terms and Definitions

In this clause, a glossary of terms and relevant definitions that apply to the automotive industry are provided. These terms feature throughout the standard, so it is important for organisations to familiarise themselves with those that feature in this clause.

 

Clause 4 – Context of the organisation

This clause provides an understanding of the organisation and its internal and external context. It also outlines the means of understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties and methods of determining the scope of the quality management system and its processes.

 

Clause 5 – Leadership

Clause 5 identifies the roles that leadership and commitment play regarding the direction that the organisation is taking. This includes the policies, organisational roles, responsibilities and authorities.

 

Clause 6 – Planning

This clause considers the actions that can be taken to address risks and opportunities that may arise. Alongside methods of planning for changes and the ways in which quality objectives can be achieved.

 

Clause 7 – Support

In this clause, the resources that are required for implementation and maintenance are outlined. This includes the confirmation of competency, awareness, methods of communication and documented information.

 

Clause 8 – Operation

Clause 8 regards the operational planning and control, including the control of externally provided processes, products and services and any nonconforming outputs. Additionally, it includes the requirements, design, development and release of products and services and service provision.

 

Clause 9 – Performance

This clause defines the way in which the QMS is monitored, measured and evaluated. These methods include internal audits and management reviews.

 

Clause 10 – Improvement

The final clause provides an outline methods to ensure continual improvement, using corrective actions devised from nonconformities that have been received.

 

How long will your AS/EN 9100 certificate be valid for?

Your AS/EN 9100 certificate will be valid for at least three years; dependent on the type of site that is being certified.  

 

Additional information:

Please Note - Additional OASIS database fees are applicable for all AS91XX Schemes.

The entry of audits and certificate information is mandatory for these Schemes and the following fees are applicable for the maintenance and management of the database and its content.

1. Initial Certification Fee - $700.00

2. Recertification Fee - $700.00

3. Transfer Audit Fee - $700.00

4. New Site(s) Fee - $300.00

The fees above are levied by the Scheme Owners, not URS, and are additional to the certification activity. Given that the fees above are determined by IAQG, they are subject to change.

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