ISO 9000 vs. AS9100 in a Local Fabrication and Machine Shop

J

JADCHATT

Hi, I have been hired to implement a QMS at a local fabrication/machine shop. The owner has been told by some people that he can not get into the Aerospace and Defense world of manufacturing without being registered to AS9100. I have done quite a bit of research and it seems that there are only a handfull of primes that actually "Require" AS9100. It looks to me as if a good 80% of them will accept ISO9000. Am I correct in this? Also, our current customer base is more driven by ISO then AS and I am hearing rumors that AS9100 is currently being revised. I guess my question is, If I go for an ISO QMS first, can I still pursue Aerospace and Defense contracts? Then when the new revision of AS 9100 is released, pursue that as an upgrade?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
 
D

D.Scott

Hi, I have been hired to implement a QMS at a local fabrication/machine shop. The owner has been told by some people that he can not get into the Aerospace and Defense world of manufacturing without being registered to AS9100. I have done quite a bit of research and it seems that there are only a handfull of primes that actually "Require" AS9100. It looks to me as if a good 80% of them will accept ISO9000. Am I correct in this? Also, our current customer base is more driven by ISO then AS and I am hearing rumors that AS9100 is currently being revised. I guess my question is, If I go for an ISO QMS first, can I still pursue Aerospace and Defense contracts? Then when the new revision of AS 9100 is released, pursue that as an upgrade?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Welcome to the Cove.

I don't know of any of the big aerospace customers who don't require AS9100. I suppose there may be some though and I would guess it would depend on what you are doing for them. I can't imagine them not requiring things like FAI and configuration management if you are supplying a "part".

As for the comparison of the 2 standards, AS9100 includes ISO 9001:2000. All the requirements of ISO are also requirements of AS. Your ISO certification would certainly not be wasted when you "upgrade" to AS9100.

Good luck.

Dave
 
D

domingue

My (admittedly limited) experience says that the big guys require it - OEMs and distributors. You can sometimes skate by with small orders here and there without it, but if you want a stab at the really good business, then you have to get registered.

Also, as Dave mentioned, if your system is ISO based, then it's AS based. AS is exactly ISO with some added controls.
 
A

andygr

As a small local shop you will most likely get your entry into the aerospace market thru some one up the food chain. Some make the AS certification a clear requirement as it helps limit what they have to do for supplier review and certification.

As the others have stated above the AS is all the ISO plus some extras.
As a smaller player in the food chain you can get some lattitude that 1st and 2nd tier supplers do not get.

IF you think you are ready then going for the AS makes sence as will cover all your current and potential customers. I do not think the cost or effort required should keep you from trying for the AS from the start.
:2cents:
 

Coury Ferguson

Moderator here to help
Trusted Information Resource
If the shop really wants to get into the Aerospace sector (there are both positive and negative aspects) I would look to the ISO9001:xxxx first and see if they can get some Aerospace work. As for the percentage, if your research reflected that information, then there is nothing I could/would say.

The other things you may want to consider is the costs associated with the AS9100 registration via ISO9001:xxxx. Look at the possibility of affecting the company's bottom line ($$$) to maintain the AS9100 registration via the aerospace business projected.

There are companies that get the Aerospace business without the AS9100, but the need of the ISO9001:xxxx registration could be impacted.

Get all the facts and present them to the Owner/Corporation. Let the company make the final decision.

Just my :2cents: and my personal opinion.
 
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