ISO 9001:2015, Quality Management Systems – Requirements
AS 9100, QMS Requirements for Aviation, Space and Defence Organisations
AS 9110, QMS Requirements for Aviation Maintenance Organisations
AS 9120, QMS Requirements for Aviation, Space and Defence Distributors
Watch the video for an introduction on the AS 9100 series of standards.
What are AS 9100, AS 9110, AS 9120?
Aviation, Space and Defence (ASD) industries require ISO 9001 for Quality Management Systems to ensure customers can be confident they receive the same product or service, time and time again, without variation. However, because those sectors involve high cost products which are often mission critical, there are additional requirements for quality and safety to ensure the products and services satisfy exacting specifications. This has resulted in the development of three ASD Standards:
- AS 9100 for organisations which design, develop or manufacture
- AS 9110 for aircraft maintenance organisations
- AS 9120 for distributors of components such as electronics and hardware.
Quality Management System Requirements
A Quality Management System (QMS) requires organisations to:
- understand their external & internal issues, and interested parties
- have a Quality Policy describing senior management’s commitment – typically one page document declaring commitment to quality
- embrace risks and opportunities throughout the business
- develop a Quality or Management Manual – documenting as much or as little as you want but, typically, briefly addressing the clauses of ISO 9001.
The Standards are not ISO Standards, they are published by the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG), but they require ISO 9001 certification as the foundation for the management system. IAQG works closely with ISO to ensure the ASD Standards complement the current version of ISO 9001. Originally focused on ‘aerospace organisations’, the 2009 version (Revision C) expanded to include ‘aviation, space and defence organisations’. The latest version (Revision D) was published in 2016 and is based on risk management similar to ISO 9001.
AS 9100 is also referred to as AS9100D in USA, JISQ9100 in Japan and EN 9100:2018 in Europe. AS 9110 is also referred to as AS9110C in USA, SJAC9110 in Japan and EN 9110:2018 in Europe. AS 9120 is also referred to as AS9120B in USA, SJAC9120 in Japan and EN 9120:2018 in Europe.
ASD Quality Management System Requirements
An ASD Quality Management System requires organisations to:
- understand their external & internal issues, and interested parties
- have a Quality Policy describing senior management’s commitment – typically a one page document declaring commitment to quality
- embrace risks and opportunities throughout the business
- develop a Quality or Management Manual – documenting addressing the clauses of ISO 9001 and the respective ASD Standard
- develop procedures or work instructions – recipes for doing business
- develop and monitor quality objectives
- ensure staff are competent and understand the quality management system
- ensure customers’ requirements are clearly understood and met
- design new products & services in a controlled manner
- control any outsourced work and purchasing of materials
- control work so the final product or service is as planned
- monitor performance and customer satisfaction
- control nonconformances and nonconforming product
- take corrective action for significant or repetitive nonconformances
- conduct internal audits of the quality management system
- ensure senior management strategically review the quality management system.
Additionally, ASD Standards require:
- product safety to be addressed
- counterfeit parts prevention to be addressed
- an increased emphasis on risks in operational processes
- awareness of individual contribution to product and service quality and safety along with ethical behaviour
- human factors to be considered in nonconformity management and corrective action
- configuration management to address stakeholder needs
- increased emphasis on calibration, certification, traceability and documentation right through the supply chain
- prevention of any nonconforming product being dispatched, and traceability and positive recall of any potentially defective products
- an increased focus on demonstrating production processes ensure, check and document that products meet key quality and safety requirements at every key stage
- ensuring that ‘special processes’ such as welding are tightly quality controlled
- ensuring that key dimensions and product characteristics are met at each stage in the production process.
Documentation Requirements:
Implementing an ASD Quality Management System:
Benefits of a Quality Management System:
- meet customer requirements to supply to the aviation, space and defence industry
- enhanced company profile
- confidence that the business will operate as intended
- increased efficiency and reduced costs
- increased customer satisfaction and repeat business
- increased morale and motivation of staff
- ability to allow employees to get on with the job without direct supervision
- meeting client, pre-qualification or regulatory requirements
- easily integrated with other management systems.
TQCSI Certification Process:
- contact your TQCSI Office and ask for a quote or apply on-line - TQCSI will need to know what your business does and how many employees (full time equivalent)
- to prevent delays, don’t wait until your Quality Management System is fully implemented.
Certification Marks for ASD Quality Management Systems:
Once obtained, these certification marks can be used on all marketing material to promote your AS 9100, AS 9110, or AS 9120 certification.
AS 9100 Series FAQs
Need Help?
Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..