AS9120 Certification
AS9120 Certification and its Benefits for Your Organization
Benefits to Certification:
- Customer satisfaction – through delivery of products that consistently meet customer requirements
- Reduced operating costs – through continual improvement of processes and resulting operational efficiency
- Improved stakeholder relationships – including staff, customers and suppliers
- Legal compliance – by understanding how statutory and regulatory requirements impact an organization
- Improved risk management – through greater consistency and traceability of products and services
- Proven business credentials – through independent verification against recognized standards
- Ability to win more business – particularly where procurement specifications require certification as a condition to supply
What the Standard Includes
The AS9120 Quality Management System standard includes the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System (QMS) requirements and specifies additional requirements for quality management system (AQMS) for the Aerospace industry applicable to stockiest distributors. This ensures a Quality Management System which is well rounded and directly suited to your business. This certification is for use by organizations that procure parts, materials and assemblies, and sell these products to a customer in the Aerospace industry. This includes organizations that procure products and split them into smaller quantities. This standard is not intended for organizations that rework or repair products. Organizations that perform work that could affect product characteristics or conformity shall also use AS9100 or another Quality Management System (QMS) standard. This certification requires organizations to focus on areas impacting product safety and reliability. Some of the areas focused upon in the Quality Systems Requirements for this certification are:
- Traceability– defines specific requirements for traceability from receipt until delivery
- Control of records– record requirements are significantly stringent for distributors of Aerospace product
- Airworthiness certificates– Defines the documents issued by civil aviation authorities, such as FAA, that certifies that parts meet required airworthiness requirements
- Splitting– Specific requirements for batch splitting and lot splitting, and how conformance to specification is maintained
- Evidence of Conformance– specific documents are required by distributors as evidence of conformance
Maintenance of Certification
Once you have achieved your certification it must be kept current. In order to keep your certification current you must be evaluated by a certifying body at least once per year. While this process may seem inconvenient, it is designed so companies who achieve the AS9120 standard are constantly monitored for compliance. Because certified companies are consistently being monitored, the integrity of the certification stays intact. Since this certification is specifically designed for those companies who procure materials, assemblies and parts in order to sell these products to a customer within the Aerospace industry, compliance is paramount for safety if nothing else.
Please Contact Us for Assistance
We can answer any questions or concerns you may have in regards to achieving certification; whether you need assistance in auditing or need to know which certification is right for your organization. Please contact us at (951) 736-0035. We look forward to hearing from you!