AS9100 certification in Germany

AS9100 certification in Germany at a glance

Aerospace customers rarely accept a supplier on an ISO 9001 certificate alone. AS9100 — published in Europe as EN 9100 — adds the controls the industry relies on: configuration management, first-article inspection, special-process control, counterfeit-part prevention and product safety. For German machining shops, surface-treatment houses and electronics subcontractors, certification is usually the ticket onto an aerospace supplier panel, and the certificate is expected to appear in the IAQG OASIS database that aerospace buyers check. No German statute requires it; the requirement comes from the customer's purchase conditions. Certification is issued by a certification body accredited for the aerospace scheme, through DAkkS or another accreditation body within the international recognition arrangements. Sterling's Frankfurt office builds the system on top of the existing quality system, with particular attention to traceability and special processes that auditors examine closely, and includes Effivity and Sterling Academy in the engagement. The German route is summarised below.

Who needs AS9100 in Germany, and what happens without it

In Germany the question rarely comes from a law. It comes from the buyer, the regulator or the partner that wants proof before it signs. These are the organisations that get asked.

• Aerospace component and assembly suppliersAerospace customers typically require AS9100/EN 9100 certification listed in the IAQG OASIS database.
• Machining, surface-treatment and electronics subcontractors entering aerospaceEntry to aerospace supplier panels usually depends on certification.
• Defence suppliers working to aerospace quality requirementsDefence programmes may apply aerospace quality requirements to suppliers.

AS9100 requirements in Germany

Strip away the vocabulary and AS9100 asks a supplier to prove six things about delivering aerospace products safely and on time.

In Germany these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: AS9100 explained →

How to get AS9100 certified in Germany

One team from the Frankfurt office carries the work from scoping to certificate. All German states (Länder), on-site from Frankfurt; remote delivery for distributed teams.

1. Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
2. Gap assessment against AS9100 and the German requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
3. Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
4. Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before the certification body arrives.
5. Certification body stage 1 and stage 2, then surveillanceAn accredited body audits and decides. Sterling supports the audits and the three-year cycle.

The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.

How long does AS9100 certification take in Germany?

There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Germany these are the factors that set the timeline.

• Product and special-process scope (e.g. heat treatment, NDT)
• Configuration management and first-article inspection maturity
• Customer-specific requirements
• Certification-body availability

Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.

• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does AS9100 certification cost in Germany?

The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and the certification body’s audit fees, which are quoted separately. In Germany these factors move both.

• Number of sites and special processes
• Product complexity and traceability needs
• Certification body fees quoted separately from consulting

Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.

AS9100 consultants and certification bodies in Germany

Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; an accredited certification body then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.

• Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers AS9100 and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
• Ask the consultant how the local requirements in Germany are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
• Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
• Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.

AS9100 in Germany: questions clients ask

More on AS9100 for German organisations

• AS9100: the complete guide
• Watch: How to implement AS9100
• Sterling in Frankfurt
• AS9100 certification in Germany and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards German businesses ask Sterling for

Organisations in Germany often combine AS9100 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 23 standards Sterling delivers in Germany →