AS9100 Certification

What are the Benefits of AS9100 Certification?

AS9100 certification carries multiple benefits, including safer and more reliable end products, increased efficiency, well-defined processes, and improved customer satisfaction. Most importantly, AS9100 certification prepares your business for future growth and competition.

Whether you are seeking AS9100 certification for the first time or transitioning from AS9100C, we’re here to help. Here are just some of the benefits of implementing AS9100 with the CORE solution:

• Managed, Defined Processes
• Safe Reliable, Continually-improving Products
• Accurate, Clear Documentation
• Supply-chain and Stakeholder Focus
• Fewer Customer-unique Documents
• Greater Business Opportunities, Customer Satisfaction, and Growth

How Can I Become AS9100 Certified?

To become AS9100 certified, you must learn the requirements and apply them to your business. We offer consulting and training to help you do just that

Your AS9100 quality management system requirements include components like:

• Quality goals: What are your objectives?
• Quality assurance: How are you measuring and recording your results and customer satisfaction?
• Process documentation: How do you achieve your quality goals? What methods and techniques do you use?
• Data management: How do you control your data access and flow?
• Growth focus: How will your business continually improve?

You also must complete the following steps for certification:

Third-Party Audit

Your Stage 1 and Stage 2 audits must be performed by an authorized third-party registrar. Expect to present testing logs, audit logs, and any other relevant material on the policies and procedures in your QMS. Your auditor will want to see evidence of your internal audit and your management reviews.

 How Long Does It Take to Get AS9100 Certified?

From planning to audit, the AS9100 certification process takes approximately four months for a small business. Timelines may vary based on your individual needs.

While the AS9100 standard has not changed, the auditing of AS9100 is changing.

Audit Requirements for AS9100 — AS9104/1A

A new version of AS9104/1A was released in 2022. Companies must complete their transition by January 2024. Even if you’ve never heard of this standard before, your company might feel the changes.

If you’re certified or seeking  AS9100 certification, these changes will impact your business. But exactly what changes are coming? And how should companies like yours prepare for the shift?

Read our article on How the New AS9104/1A Will Impact Your Business

The distinct prerequisites of the aerospace standard are meant to enhance the 9001 requirements to meet the elevated expectations of exceptional performance.  Like ISO 9001, AS9100 is structured into ten clauses that provide a step-by-step approach to obtaining certification.

The initial three clauses of AS9100 aim to introduce and familiarize the organization with the standard. The actual fulfillment of requirements, however, commences from clause 4 forward.

For an in-depth look at the AS9100 requirements click here.

This is a Summary of the Requirements for AS9100:

Section 4 Context of the Organization

The objective of AS9100 clause 4 is to identify, assess, and evaluate internal and external factors, including interested parties while defining the scope of the Quality Management System (QMS) and its associated processes.

An all-encompassing comprehension of the factors that impact a business is essential for superior and sustainable quality management. By defining boundaries and establishing how the QMS pertains to the work being performed, organizations can establish the context of their operations and align their processes with the company’s vision.

Section 5 Leadership

Section 5 of AS9100 is about the involvement of leaders and is essential for the successful implementation of any ISO standard. Leaders are responsible for ensuring the system’s efficacy, meeting customer demands, formulating and implementing a quality policy, and delegating roles and responsibilities to the team.

In addition to the standard 9001 guidance, AS9100 requires that companies track and record data relating to goals for conformity and on-time delivery. If the numbers show that goals are not met, the leadership team is responsible for implementing changes.

Another added requirement of the AS9100 standard is the appointment of a specific management representative whose primary goal is to establish and maintain the QMS and have the freedom within the organization to access top management whenever necessary.

Section 6 Planning

Section 6 of AS9100 corresponds precisely with the requirements stated in ISO 9001 and does not introduce any additional criteria to the AS9100 standard. This section necessitates companies to develop strategies for mitigating risks and capitalizing on opportunities to accomplish their quality objectives. It also outlines how companies intend to achieve their quality objectives and make alterations to their management system.

The AS9100 Section 7 mandates companies to not only identify the resources required for QMS support but also ensure employee confidence, create awareness of QMS information, devise communication plans, and exercise stringent control of documents and records.

Section 8 Operational

This section is the most comprehensive in the standard, as it introduces several additional requirements to the operational aspect of QMS system development. Section 8 of AS9100 delineates the processes essential for producing products or services that fulfill the quality objectives established by the company. This section outlines the organization’s specific responsibilities concerning process control, product or service requirements, design and development processes, validation of conforming inputs, environmental controls, verification of products and services, and identification and control of nonconforming outputs.

Section 9 Performance Evaluation

Section 9 of AS9100 is about performance evaluation.  Performance evaluation means to analyze and evaluate the performance and effectiveness of the QMS, companies must establish practices and standards for measurement. They must determine the metrics to be measured, and the methods for measuring them (including who, how, and when), select procedures for monitoring customer satisfaction, conduct thorough internal audits, and schedule regular management reviews.

Section 10 Improvement

Section 10 of the AS9100 standard emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement to ensure the ongoing success of the QMS. This section sets out specific requirements that companies must adhere to to continually improve their processes, documentation, nonconformance management, and corrective action.

One crucial aspect of improvement involves enhancing the nonconformance management process. Companies must establish a robust system for identifying, investigating, and taking corrective action to prevent future nonconformance. It is essential to document all nonconformance and their resolutions, as this helps to identify trends and develop preventive measures.

Another significant area of improvement relates to documentation management. Companies must ensure that all documentation is accurate, up-to-date, and easily accessible. They must have clear procedures for controlling documents, including versioning, approval, and distribution.

Improvement in the QMS function also requires companies to monitor their processes regularly and identify areas for improvement. A system must be in place to track process performance and implement corrective actions where necessary.

Finally, regular management reviews are a necessary component of continual improvement. These reviews provide an opportunity for the company’s leadership to assess the effectiveness of the QMS and identify opportunities for improvement. By continuously striving for improvement, companies can ensure that their QMS meets the needs of their organization and stakeholders and continues to deliver high-quality products and services.

However, complying with the requirements of certain sections of a standard can prove to be challenging, even for well-organized businesses.

In the case of AS9100, a QMS standard aimed at Aerospace, Space, and Defense manufacturers, we have observed that our clients tend to encounter recurring issues. To provide better insight into these problem areas, we have consulted our team of experts and identified some specific shortcomings. Our objective is to raise awareness among companies that intend to pursue AS9100 certification.

Three specific areas have consistently been identified as pain points for businesses seeking to achieve AS9100 certification:

Product Safety:

Businesses that operate at the component level face a unique challenge when it comes to ensuring the safety of their products. Unlike those who produce finished products, component-level companies must consider not only their safety requirements but also the safety implications of their product in the context of the final assembly process. While they may be able to test their product’s function in isolation, they cannot fully assess its safety in interaction with other components. This lack of complete knowledge can pose a significant challenge in guaranteeing overall product safety.

Configuration Management:

Businesses that deliver component pieces typically have a more straightforward assembly process, making it easier to ensure proper and documented configuration management. However, for companies that manufacture complex assemblies or end products, this process becomes much more challenging. As the number of production steps increases, so do the safeguards, and tracking each action can quickly become overwhelming. In addition, these complex processes require proper training and evaluation of competence, adding to the workload for organizations seeking certification.

Counterfeit Parts:

The verification of sourced materials to avoid counterfeit parts is an indispensable requirement of AS9100. Certificates of conformity are not always enough. Thorough testing of function before acceptance of parts ensures they won’t compromise the performance and safety of the deliverable.

Organizations may need to send out samples of their raw materials such as metal, oils, and plastics for independent composition analyses, in addition to parts verification. The resulting test reports must be validated, and organizations may have to bear additional costs to collaborate with third-party testing facilities to ensure that their raw materials meet the requirements.

Related Standards

We provide consulting support for various other standards, as well as support for companies seeking multiple certifications through an Integrated Management System.

Learn more about AS9100 at our articles page.

Contact Core Business Solutions to Get Your Business AS9100 Certified

At Core Business Solutions, we have the expertise and tools to help you achieve AS9100 certification. We’ve helped hundreds of American small businesses apply this standard to their business to achieve certification. When you work with Core, you benefit from our proven methods and guidance with a customized strategy for long-term growth that sets your business apart. 

For more information about ISO certification and the AS9100 standard, please call our consulting office at 866-354-0300 or contact us online.