Update: SAE AS 9100 has been revised. SAE AS 9100D-2016 (SAE AS9100D-2016) – Quality Management Systems – Requirements for Aviation, Space and Defense Organizations is now available.
SAE AS 9100C-2009 (SAE AS9100C-2009) – Quality Management Systems – Requirements for Aviation, Space and Defense Organizations addresses quality management system requirements for aviation, space, and defense organizations that need to demonstrate a commitment to quality.
ISO 9001 is the international standard that provides requirements for a quality management system in any organization that needs to demonstrate its ability to provide a product that consistently meets customer and applicable regulatory requirements and aims to enhance customer satisfaction through the application of that system. Since ISO 9001 was first published in 1987, it has become a highly recognized set of guidelines for a quality management system in any organization. Many organizations today undergo ISO 9001 certification to demonstrate credibility to customers and clients.
ISO 9001, by its nature, is nonprescriptive, so that it can be applicable to almost any organization. However, the design and implementation of an organization’s quality management system is influenced by a variety of factors that are unique to that organization, including their needs and environment. SAE AS9100C-2009 (also referred to as just AS 9100C) is built off this consideration, using ISO 9001 as the foundation for the specific requirements for aviation, space, and defense organizations.
Quality is essential for products designed for the aerospace industry, since objects that need to remain elevated in the air cannot have any defects or errors that could limit their performance or compromise the safety of their passengers. While building upon international guidelines, AS 9100C adds many additional guidelines for the realization of a product and its supply chain.
Ultimately, these added guidelines help to ensure a state of quality in the end product by providing additional safeguards throughout the steps by which it travels from the manufacturer to the consumer. This is accomplished through the inclusion of quality objectives for the product at the early stages of the life cycle, stronger requirements related to development and design, and additional requirements around supplier control for purchasing products.
The “C” in the title of the AS 9100C-2009 standard denotes that it is the third revision of the original version of the document. Revisions to this document are important not only because of the advancement in the aerospace industry over time but also from the revisions made to general quality management guidelines.
Adapting the knowledge that has emerged in the newer revisions of ISO 9001, SAE AS 9100C-2009 makes use of concepts such as risk management to create a modern quality management system for aerospace organizations.
SAE AS 9100D-2016 (SAE AS9100D-2016) – Quality Management Systems – Requirements for Aviation, Space and Defense Organizations is available on the ANSI Webstore.
