AS9100 case study
AS9100 case study: an aerospace parts maker
How an aerospace parts maker with strong production skills built an AS9100 quality system that tightened quality control and design validation, reduced tolerance variation and made its customers' supplier audits simpler.
Key points
- An aerospace parts maker already had strong production skills; what it lacked was a quality system built to the expectations of aviation, space and defence customers.
- Its AS9100 system tightened quality control and design validation, reduced variation against tolerances and lowered the risk of a component failing.
- Certification gave customers visible proof of the company's commitment, made their own supplier audits simpler and raised their confidence in the company as a source of parts.
The organisation and what it needed
The company in this AS9100 case study makes parts for the aerospace sector. Its production skills were already sound.
The gap lay elsewhere. Aerospace buyers expect more than good workmanship on the day. They expect a supplier to control quality in a disciplined, repeatable way, to validate designs before parts go into service, and to show that every delivery meets the same standard as the last. The organisation needed to work to that level of expectation, and to prove it to its customers.
What was implemented
The company put in place a quality management system to the AS9100 standard. The case record describes it through two areas it strengthened.
- Quality control. Controls over the production of parts were tightened, so that conformity rested on a defined system rather than on individual skill alone.
- Design validation. The way designs were validated was brought under the same discipline, giving the company a firmer basis for confirming that a part would do what it was meant to do.
The system was then taken through certification. As with every AS9100 certificate, that decision belongs to an accredited certification body working within the scheme run by the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG); a consultancy prepares the organisation but never certifies it.
What changed
The results show up in two places: inside the plant and with customers.
On the shop floor
Variation against tolerances fell. For a parts maker, a dimension drifting towards its limit is where rework and rejection begin. The risk of component failure was reduced, which in aerospace is the outcome that counts most.
With customers
Certification showed customers that the company was committed to aerospace quality, not simply claiming it. It also simplified the audits those customers carried out on the company as a supplier, and it strengthened their confidence in the business as a dependable source of parts.
The company's president summed up the effect by saying that AS9100 had taken the business to a new level.
About AS9100
AS9100 is the quality management system standard for aviation, space and defence organisations, developed by the IAQG. It is issued as AS9100 in the Americas, EN 9100 in Europe and JIS Q 9100 in Japan, with the same requirements in each. The current edition is Rev D (9100:2016), which incorporates the full text of ISO 9001:2015 and adds the controls the industry treats as essential.
| Aerospace addition | Why it matters to a parts maker |
|---|---|
| Configuration management | The delivered part must match its defined, current configuration. |
| Product safety and counterfeit-part prevention | Unsafe or unauthorised parts must never reach the customer. |
| Special processes and first article inspection | Special processes such as heat treatment or coating are validated, and first article inspection confirms that production meets the design. |
| Traceability and foreign object prevention | Material and parts can be traced and contained, and debris is kept out of the product. |
Certification is carried out by an accredited certification body within the IAQG scheme, using IAQG-authenticated auditors, and each certificate is recorded in OASIS, the IAQG's supplier database. The IAQG has linked a full revision of 9100, to be published as IA9100, to ISO 9001:2026; until it is published, organisations certify to Rev D.
How Sterling runs a programme like this
What follows describes how Sterling generally approaches an AS9100 engagement; it is not an account of this particular client's programme.
Every programme starts with a gap analysis of the existing system against ISO 9001 and the aerospace additions, keeping whatever already works. Clients then choose one of two alternative levels of support. With Design™, we develop the system and your team implements it under our expert advice and supervision. With Drive™, we design and build it for you under your approval, as a fully managed service.
Effivity, the quality management software used in 50+ countries, is included with the engagement at no additional cost. The engagement also covers internal auditor training for your audit team, as applicable to your standard.
How Sterling supports aerospace suppliers
Build an AS9100 system your customers can rely on
Sterling's expert and experienced consultants have advised on management systems across sectors and countries since 2003, with 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries and offices in 21 countries. We ensure successful certification for our clients; an accredited certification body carries out the audit and makes the decision.
Book a free discovery callAS9100 for aerospace parts makers: questions buyers ask
How can our customers confirm that we hold AS9100 certification?
Aerospace primes and their tier-one suppliers check certification in OASIS, the IAQG's online supplier database. A certificate issued under the IAQG scheme is recorded there by the certification body, so a customer can verify your status and scope without relying on a paper copy.
What will the certification audit look at in a parts manufacturing plant?
Expect the auditors to follow your realisation processes on the floor: flow-down of requirements to suppliers, first article inspection reports, qualification of special processes, foreign object controls, traceability, and the release and disposition of product. Each realisation process is assessed for whether it achieves its planned results.
Is an existing ISO 9001 system a useful starting point for a parts maker?
Yes. AS9100 contains the whole of ISO 9001, so a working ISO 9001 system is kept and extended rather than replaced. The additional work usually centres on configuration, first article inspection, special processes, supplier controls and counterfeit-part prevention, which is where a gap analysis focuses first.
More AS9100 guides
Every guide in the AS9100 series is written for one question and links back to the hub for the whole picture.
Keep exploring
Explore more about AS9100
Watch a video on how to implement AS9100 here.
Watch a video on AS9100, AS9110 and AS9120 requirements here.
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