Did You Know? The Aerospace Industry has Specific Requirements for Quality Management

AS9120 – AEROSPACE REQUIREMENTS FOR STOCKIST DISTRIBUTORS.

AS9120 Quality Management System Aerospace Requirements for Stockist Distributors is a standard published by the Society of Automotive Engineers. The standard includes ISO9001 and other specific requirements related to the Aerospace Industry.

The standard is based on AS9100, which is for the aviation, space and defence industries, however, it includes additional requirements that are specific to distributors who carry aircraft components such as fasteners, gaskets, electronics etc. This standard ensures the suppliers handle the materials properly and track the parts from the original equipment manufacturer to the customer to enable traceability and control throughout. AS9120 is aligned to companies that procure parts and materials, selling these products to a customer in the aviation, space or defence industries. The standard is not intended for those who rework or repair products for the aerospace industry.

Understanding the Requirements

The best place to start is with us. We can arrange a free no-obligation, face-to-face meeting to help you thoroughly understand the requirements of the AS9120 standard and discuss the steps that your business can take to reach certification. Our experienced consultants will build a relationship with you and understand your business’ strategic direction moving forward. This will enable our consultants to provide a bespoke service that is fit for purpose and remove any unnecessary concerns you may have.

Implementing the requirements of AS9120

The steps to reaching certification include, but are not limited to:

• identifying an implementation team
• creating a quality manual or policy that defines your core business processes and objectives
• identifying your business’ context, including its risks and opportunities
• implementing a document control and traceability system
• demonstrating control over your supply chain
• Completing audits of the system to ensure it is fit for purpose and running in the way it is intended.

All of the above should include a commitment towards meeting the requirements of the customer and compliance with international standards.

You will create and maintain high-level procedures as you work towards certification. These will detail how the organisation’s processes are designed and controlled to ensure the system is fit for purpose; adding value throughout.

If you currently have a quality management system in place, our professional team can provide a gap analysis to identify areas within your system that already meet the requirements of the AS9120 standard and highlight which areas are to be targeted to demonstrate compliance throughout.

What are the Benefits of AS9120?

• Provides assurance to company management and employees, as well as external stakeholders, that quality is at the heart of your business.
• Provides opportunities for improved product quality and traceability and mitigate risks.
• Enables your business to gain a competitive advantage and the trust of stakeholders.
• Improves your company reputation and the confidence of stakeholders through strategic communication.
• Increased profitability, as productivity improves.
• Increased customer satisfaction.
• Greater employee awareness.
• Allows you to expand your customer base to include global aviation companies. 

How can Clear Quality help?

We have a team of qualified and dedicated consultants that will support you and your business every step of the way by creating, implementing and managing the perfect quality management system (QMS). This QMS will suit your individual business needs and objectives, ensuring compliance to the requirements of the international standards, and we work with you to continually improve the quality across your provision. Contact us to find out more.