AS EN SJAC 9100                                                                                                                   go to bottom    Introduction    The aerospace industry in its continuous effort to improve quality has developed the first international quality management standard specifically for the industry. It has been published in Europe as EN 9100, in the United States as AS 9100 and in the Far East as SJAC 9100. This document represents impressive efforts by the aerospace industry to produce a single standard for use across the global aerospace community.    Origins    The new aerospace standard is based on the tested and proven foundation of ISO 9001. It does not attempt to replace this standard but augments it with specific additional requirements necessary to address civil/military aviation and space needs. Other contributing sources are: The preceding documents AS 9000 and TS 157 Industry regulatory requirements Government customer standards Contributions from various national and international stakeholders    Striving for Change     In December 1998, the aerospace industry established the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG), with representation from around the world, with the stated objective of establishing and maintaining "a dynamic co-operation based on trust between international aerospace companies on initiatives to make significant improvements in quality and reductions in cost throughout the value stream".    There are a variety of motivators influencing the introduction of the standard; key among these is data provided by the various aviation regulatory agencies expressing the opinion that the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are exercising insufficient control of the supplier base.    To address this shortcoming, the industry co-operated in producing AS EN SJAC 9100, the first international quality systems standard specifically developed by and for the aerospace industry. It is the first single standard  available for  use across the global aerospace community. It includes requirements necessary to address both civil and military aviation and aerospace needs. The industry-developed common quality management system requirements within the standard will ensure a consistency of approach throughout the supply chain, both nationally and internationally.    Benefits     As the OEMs begin to insist on registration to the new standard aerospace suppliers will look to the commercial and other benefits to be gained from accredited registration. These benefits include: • Customer confidence that the company reduces commercial risk by embracing aerospace good practice Market confidence that the international standard AS EN SJAC 9100 is accepted as a baseline Improved management systems leading to reduced costs, improved efficiency and increased profitability New market opportunities as the AS EN SJAC 9100 standard increasingly becomes a customer requirement Improved customer and supplier relationships building a team approach to meeting customers' needs     What's Different?     A review of the aerospace quality management standard quickly reveals the aerospace flavour that has been applied by industry representatives. AS EN SJAC 9100 is based on the philosophy of the integration of key aerospace industry concepts with the generic quality management principles contributed by ISO 9001. The additional concepts introduced are: Aerospace industry quality perspective Regulatory agency roles and responsibilities (FAA/JAA, DCMC etc.) First off inspection Aerospace material traceability/accountability systems Subcontractor approval and control requirements Key/critical characteristics control Cascading of quality requirements Foreign object damage Stamp control Non-conforming material, approval and control requirements Sampling inspection requirements and limitations     With these additions AS EN SJAC 9100 now provides an excellent industry quality standard. It ensures a  consistent quality system approach for industry practices such as: First off inspection Pre-production planning requirements Non-conformance reporting Component proving process Approach to requirements cascade Quality expectation and interpretation reduction     Whilst the number of additions to ISO 9001 that have been incorporated into AS EN SJAC 9100 may appear significant and daunting, it must be recognised that all the basic ISO 9001 requirements are included in full. A typical aerospace company will probably have already addressed many of the key concepts listed above in their existing quality systems. These concepts are not new and are in most cases tried and tested methodologies and accepted aerospace industry practice. An aerospace company's existing ISO 9001 quality management      system is unlikely to require significant modification as it will already incorporate many of the tools prescribed by AS EN SJAC 9100.    Other Aerospace Standards    The AS EN SJAC 9100 standard is aimed at manufacturers of aerospace products, although several non-manufacturing organisations are known be exploring the beneficial application of the standard. Several other draft standards are being developed to support, either directly or indirectly, AS EN SJAC 9100, to focus appropriate attention on quality management and to address areas such as repair stations, first off inspection, training etc. If you have any queries please contact your NQA India office where the staff will be more than happy to help you or e-mail: enquiries@nqaindia.com                                                                                                                          go to top