Hoeyster QM - Goal: Eliminate "Final Inspection" - Aerospace precision machining

[Hoeyster]

I have just been hired as the Quality Manager for a small Aerospace Precision Machining company. We are working towards ISO-9000-2000 and AS9100 certification.
My goal is to eliminate the "Final Inspection" persay. Building quality into the product is essential. I am working towards the system of "Final Inspection" being right at the production process. My inspectors will become auditors (verifiers of the production process). I am in the process of selecting "Key Characteristics". Through processing we will achieve the customer requirements. Customer characteristics will be "Bought Off" so to speak on the production floor. Final Inspection will be performed on the production floor and customer characteristics are created.
First Article Inspection and First piece will be performed by the inspection department.

Any thoughts or comments on this system?
Any comments or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

[Don Palmer]

This post was originally in the Production Supervises Inspection Department discussion thread in the ISO 9001 forum and had gone unanswered.

Reading this first post from Hoeyster may shed some light regarding recent questions and responses Hoeyster has submitted.

Hoeyster, where are you currently with regard to 'working towards ISO/AS certification'?

Aviation Eagles (Cove Members with Aviation ISO/AS experience), depending on Hoester's update (to us) as to where he is in the certification process, please jump in where you can with this post as well as others that Hoester recently submitted.

Thanks,

Muleskinner

[Marc]

Originally Posted by Hoeyster

I am in the process of selecting "Key Characteristics".

OK

Originally Posted by Hoeyster

Through processing we will achieve the customer requirements. {2} Customer characteristics will be "Bought Off" so to speak on the production floor. {3} Final Inspection will be performed on the production floor and customer characteristics are created.

I'm not sure what you mean by the above 2nd and 3rd sentences.

[Hoeyster]

By Key Characteristics I mean process characteristics that are critical to the processing of the piece part. These are characteristics that will be controlled in order to control the manufacturing process.

The role of the final inspector will become the roll of the machine operator. Customer accountablility will be performed during the manufacturing process. Customer requirements will be accepted in real-time during the process instead of at the end in the after the fact inspection. The Final Inspector will become the auditor randomly sampling piece parts during the manufacturing process.
I hope this answers your question Marc.

Muleskinner,
My progress on ISO / AS9100 is extremely slow. I have written rough draft Work Instructions and rough draft procedures. The only thing I have actually accomplished is implementing a "PIT Form" (product identification & traceability) and a Gage Request Submittal Form. As I read the standard and understand or think I understand it anyway lol, I have ore and more questions. My company is fighting this certification tooth and nail so I print out posts of threads to show my boss that what I think are requirements really are. He tends not to believe me or the part time consultant that we hired. I'm hoping he will believe the experts on the standard.

[Al Rosen]

Originally Posted by Hoeyster

My company is fighting this certification tooth and nail so I print out posts of threads to show my boss that what I think are requirements really are. He tends not to believe me or the part time consultant that we hired. I'm hoping he will believe the experts on the standard.

Not believing his subordinates is common, but not even believing the "expert" he hired is surely wasting his money. Maybe he should just hire someone he believes, but doesn't know **** from shinola. It won't get him closer to rergistration, but he will feel good.(note: I'm in a cynical mood today) Good luck! You have a tough job ahead.

[Cari Spears]

Print out this thread for him at your own risk...

[Don Palmer]

Hoester, in your original post you mentioned having “just been hired as the Quality Manager for a small Aerospace Precision Machining company”, and “working towards ISO 9001-2000 and AS9100 certification.”

Were you hired to a full-time position? Do you have previous experience as a QM? Do you have considerable background in the Aerospace Precision Machining industry?

On a timeline, where are you (taking into consideration) compliance with the standard(s), implementation of the QMS, gap analysis, document review prior to certification assessment audit, and the certification audit itself?

You ask for “Any thoughts or comments on this system?” Are you asking for thoughts or comments on the ISO 9001-2000 / AS9100 system in general (if so, an extremely broad request), or are you asking for thoughts or comments regarding your “goal to eliminate the “Final Inspection” per say”?

Is the goal to eliminate “Final Inspection” really your goal, or is it one of the objectives of top executive management? In my opinion, this is a really important issue to hash out prior to certification. It’s one thing to establish, document and implement a procedure, and can be entirely another matter to maintain it. As Quality Manager, you will want/need top executive managements full backing on this.

As to your response to Marc about “the role of the final inspector becoming the role of the machine operator”, I’ll leave that one alone for now. I see your point, and maybe Marc or someone else will jump in and offer further comment on this point. As for me, (I’ve always been a part of a MRO organization) mechanics (even if they have inspection authorization) do not inspect (buy-off) their own work. My organization is an FAA certificated repair station.

I am certain, there are others here on the board that identify with you and your extremely slow process of establishing, documenting and implementing a Quality Management System. I spent two years in that mode, from the time my top management said to begin (in addition to contracting a consultant/manual writer), before receiving certification.

Is the “part time consultant” your company hired, in-house, local or distant? Our consultant was 2000 miles away and all consulting (except for a 2 day onsite) was by email, mail and telephone conferencing. Is your consultant writing your manual(s) for you (covering all the SHALL statements) while you construct the work instructions?

You say that, as you “read the standard and understand or think” you “understand it”…”you have more and more questions”. Isn’t it great! Join the club. You are in good company here at the Cove. Continual improvement is the name of the game. Right?

Finally, you say, “My Company is fighting this certificate tooth and nail…” Who in the company is fighting the certification process? The machinists, middle management, top executive management? Does your company pursue ISO / AS9100 certification for the right reason? Or is your company going for certification because of customer demand and/or to have a fancy certificate to hang on the wall?

I cannot find the link at the moment, but Wes Bucey has some excellent articles on the topic of company culture motives for certification. You might try searching for them. Maybe Wes will pop into this thread and provide a link for us.

[Dubh12000]

Originally Posted by Hoeyster

By Key Characteristics I mean process characteristics that are critical to the processing of the piece part. These are characteristics that will be controlled in order to control the manufacturing process.

The role of the final inspector will become the roll of the machine operator. Customer accountablility will be performed during the manufacturing process. Customer requirements will be accepted in real-time during the process instead of at the end in the after the fact inspection. The Final Inspector will become the auditor randomly sampling piece parts during the manufacturing process.
.

Hoeyster, any chance of a few more details on the ops in question? Is the machine operator carrying out a grinding / milling process etc?

As for your company fighting this tooth and nail..........I've seen this time and time again, a couple of times it has only hit home during the certification audit. As one of these "External Consultants" myself, the last time I came across this in the company in question, I asked the registration body to come in prior to the certifcation audit to do a basic gap analysis.