Overview of AS 9100:2016(D) Certification

The Aerospace Quality System Standard or the AS 9100 Certification is a standardised Quality Management System which was released in October 1999 by the Automotive Engineers and European Association of Aerospace Industries. It is widely adopted and related to the aerospace industry. It is a revised version of AS9000 and incorporates ISO 9000. These are both a guide towards standardisation and some of the additional requirements related to safety and quality. The AS 9100 is required by large global suppliers and manufacturers as registration and compliance with the organisation's requirements. 

To satisfy their customer, the aerospace industry/organisation should continually provide a safe and reliable product on time at a reasonable cost that must meet or exceed customer requirements and also the regulatory authority requirements. It is done while integrating products from global suppliers and delivering goods to multiple customers with different quality requirements. This aerospace quality management system standard (AS 9100) was developed to ensure consistency. 

AS 9100:2016 (D) is the latest Aerospace Quality Management Standard version updated from the old AS 9100:2009. It is based on the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System requirements. This standard is developed for the organisation that works within the design, development, production, installation and servicing of the Aviation, Space and Defence (ASD) sector. It is also standard for quality assurance and risk management. It is required to ensure that the organisation is practising business with high standards. 

Benefits of AS 9100:2016(D) Certification 

Following are the benefits of AS 9100:2016(D) Certification:

• Facilitate continual improvement 
• Increase market opportunities 
• Demonstrate traceability throughout the supply chain 
• Increase the efficiency to save time, resources and money 
• Engage, motivate and involve staff

Prerequisites for AS 9100:2016(D) Certification

This AS 9100:2016(D) includes all the ISO 9001 Quality Management System requirements and cites additional requirements for the Quality Management System for any aerospace industry. The following are AS 9100:2016 (D) requirements:

• Context of the Organisation

1. Determine external and internal issues
2. Monitor and review information about the issues

• Needs and expectations of interested parties 

1. Identification of interested parties 
2. Requirements of interested parties 
3. Monitor and review information about interested parties 

• Scope of Quality Management System

1. Processes
2. Establish, implement, maintain and improve 
3. Risk and opportunity 

• Leadership 

1. Responsibility for the effectiveness of the Quality Management System 
2. Quality policy and quality objectives 
3. Necessary resources 
4. Promote Continual improvement 
5. Ensure achievement of the intended result 
6. Support leadership of manager

• Customer focus 
• Policy 

1. Maintain Quality policy 
2. Communicate quality policy 
3. Keep availability of Quality Policy 

• Roles, responsibilities, authorities
• Planning 
• Quality objectives 
• Planning of changes 
• Support 
• Resources 
• People 
• Infrastructure 
• Monitoring and measuring resources 
• Measurement traceability 
• Organisational knowledge 
• Competence 
• Awareness 
• Communication 
• Documented information 
• Operational planning and control 
• Operational risk management 
• Configuration management 
• Product Safety 
• Prevention of counterfeit parts
• Requirements for products and services
• Customer communication 
• Design and development 

1. Planning 
2. Inputs 
3. Controls 
4. Outputs 
5. Changes 

• External providers

1. Type and extent of control
2. Information 

• Production and service provision 

1. Control of Production and service provision
2. Control of equipment, tools and software programs 
3. Validation and control of special processes
4. Production process verification 

• Identification and traceability 
• Property belonging to customers or external providers 
• Post-delivery activities 
• Control of changes 
• Release of products and services 
• Control of non-conforming outputs 
• Performance evaluation

1. Monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation 
2. Customer satisfaction 
3. Analysis and evaluation 
4. Internal audit 
5. Management and review 

• Improvement 

1. Nonconformity and corrective action 
2. Continual improvement

Documents Required for AS 9100:2016(D) Certification

Followings are the most relevant documents required while obtaining the AS 9100:2016(D) Certification:

• System manual 
• System procedure 
• Policy 
• Objectives 
• Mission and vision 
• Standard operating procedure 
• Checklist 
• Forms 
• Records 

The extent of all the documents is dependent on the followings:

• Size of organisation 
• Activities performed at the organisation 
• Processes undertaken by the organisation 
• Products and services offered by the organisation 
• The complexity of the organisation's processes 
• Competence of the person involved in the organisation 

Procedure required for AS 9100:2016(D) Certification

Following are four main steps to be followed while obtaining AS 9100:2016(D) Certification under the Aerospace Quality Management System:

• Optional Preliminary Audit

The issuing authority performs a voluntary Site inspection, and then Aerospace Quality Management System documents are reviewed, assessing the organisation's readiness for scale I and II Auditing Phase.

• Audit: Stage I

Assessment of the eligibility for AS 9100:2016(D) Certification is understood and determined by results of on-site Auditing and Aerospace Quality Management System (AS 9100) documents analysis.

• Audit: Stage II

The issuing authority performs an on-site evaluation of the Aerospace Quality Management standard for excellence in areas where practice and efficiency are applied. 

• Certification 

An official confirmation grants Aerospace Quality Management System integrity and compliance with the AS 9100:2016(D) Standards, and thus finally grants the AS 9100:2016(D) Certification.