AS9100 Audit Services
Pro QC is a Global Quality Assurance company that provides AS9100 audit services in over 88 countries. With over 40 years of experience in auditing, Pro QC is a trusted partner for businesses that need to improve their aerospace quality management systems (QMS) or prepare for a certification audit.
AS9100 is the leading international standard for quality management systems in the aviation, space and defense (AS&D or aerospace) industries. Pro QC’s AS9100 audit services answer the following needs:
- A buying company wants to ensure that its suppliers comply with AS9100
- A company seeks to continually improve its quality management system performance
- A company seeks internal audit and development support to prepare for an AS9100 certification audit or to maintain the certification
- A supplier looks to meet their client’s quality management system compliance requirements specific to aerospace
Contact Us
Elevate Your Quality Standards with AS9100 Audit Services
AS9100 Audit Approach
Pro QC’s AS9100 audit services are conducted by qualified auditors with years of auditing experience. Our technical expertise and ability to provide custom-made solutions stand out as an asset for organizations that need to evaluate their current compliance level with the standard, prepare or maintain an AS9100 certification, or improve their aerospace quality management system.
Our on-site audits are based on factual observations and are designed to be impartial. During an AS9100 audit, the auditor collects evidence on the current compliance level of the organization against the AS9100 standard. Once the audit is completed, the auditor will provide a list of strengths and opportunities for improvement ranked in order of importance and impact. The auditor will provide an overall assessment and score and can develop a detailed corrective action plan. Audit results, recommendations, and photographic evidence are included in the final audit report.
What is an AS9100 Audit?
AS9100 is an international standard providing a comprehensive framework for a quality management system in any company in the aerospace industry. The standard arose in response to varying requirements from the US and other government buyers, as well as various major companies in the sector. Interpretations of requirements also varied.
ISO 9001, a well-established quality management system standard for any company in any sector, served as the model. A collaboration of the International Aerospace Quality Group adapted the combined requirements of ISO 9001, a previous industry standard, and the European aerospace standard to form the AS9100 standard. Subsequent revisions provided further clarifications and added many requirements in response to emerging needs, including making the audit more evidence-based and rigorous. These later editions of AS9100 added requirements addressing such issues as late delivery of the product and brought it in line with important changes in ISO’s management standards, including an emphasis on a risk-based approach.
The result is an up-to-date, industry-specific, aligned, consensus-driven standard that helps a supplier meet customer expectations and provide safe and reliable products. In addition, widespread adoption of this standard eliminates excessive auditing and brings efficiencies of a shared quality language, approach, and framework.
An AS9100 audit is conducted by an independent third party to verify compliance with the standard. This demonstrates to current and future clients that the supplier has the systems in place to produce safe and effective components and services. A third-party audit provides objectivity that a self-examination or a client audit cannot.
The audit helps buyers and suppliers identify nonconformances and encourages them to rectify the issues found. It also will provide confidence to clients and internal parties that they are engaged in continuous improvement and abiding by the leading standard of the industry.
AS9100 Audit Checklist
The full name of the standard is “Quality Management Systems – Requirements for Aviation, Space, and Defense Organizations.” Pro QC’s AS9100 audit checklist is based on the current, recently reviewed, and confirmed 2016 version D and is comprised of:
- Context of the organization
- Includes understanding the needs of the organization, those of interested parties, and the scope of the QMS
- Leadership
- Includes leadership and commitment, customer focus, and organizational roles, responsibilities, and authorities
- Planning
- Includes actions to address risks and opportunities, quality objectives, and planning of changes
- Support
- Includes people, infrastructure, competence, and control of documented information
- Operation
- Includes organizational risk management, customer communication, design and development planning, production and service provision, post-delivery activities, and control of nonconforming outputs
- Performance evaluation
- Includes monitoring, measurement, analysis, and evaluation, customer satisfaction, internal audits, and management review
- Improvement
- Includes corrective action and continual improvement
What are the benefits of AS9100 certification?
Meeting the requirements of the AS9100 standard helps in these ways and more:
- This certification is essential as most companies and government buyers will not contract with a supplier that lacks it. These include NASA, the US Department of Defense, Lockheed Martin and Boeing.
- The standard provides companies with a strategic approach to quality goals by establishing a comprehensive quality management system. Third-party certification then assures buyers that the QMS is in place and functioning as intended.
- Internal benefits include conformance to regulations, consistency of manufacturing, improved customer focus and customer perception, and established risk-based thinking throughout the QMS.
- External benefits include demonstrating effective quality management, reducing delivery of defective and delayed products, and baking continuous improvement into the system.
- Market benefits include gaining trust and recognition, gaining an advantage in sales and contracts, and becoming a preferred supplier to the many large, top buyers in the sector.
Pro QC’s AS9100 Audit Outcomes
Audit report delivered within 72 hours after the service
Pro QC clients can expect an organized AS9100 audit report delivered within 72 hours after the service and presented in exhaustive detail. Each report provides:
- A summary of the audit
- The overall audit score and compliance level with AS9100
- The compliance level for each part of the standard. Each finding is explained in clear language and is color-coded.
- The recommended corrective actions to implement
- Objective evidence such as photos, interviews, and examined records and documents
Corrective action plan
The AS9100 audit is only the first step. If the compliance level is subpar, a corrective action plan should be developed and implemented to improve the QMS performance on a sustained basis. Pro QC helps the audited organization to reach full compliance by:
- Performing an AS9100 audit
- Establishing a corrective action plan
- Verifying corrective action implementation through detailed follow-up activities
- Controlling performance and facilitating continuous improvement.
Achieve Higher Quality and Efficiency with AS9100 Standard Implementation
Pro QC Blog Posts & Related Offerings
Find out more about our related services by clicking below:
Local Expertise
