American Quality Management Helps SMEs Acquire AS9100 Certification

Montebello, California based American Quality Management (AQM) is pleased to announce that they are now offering AS9100 Certification consultancy services to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in California and its surrounding areas.

American Standard 9100 (AS9100) is based on ISO 9001 quality system requirements for entities in the aerospace industry. It mainly enforces the system of ISO 9001 and is supplemented with additional regulations in order to satisfy DOD, NASA and FAA quality requirements.

According to ISO’s website, there are more than one million companies and organizations in over 170 countries that are certified under ISO 9001. This standard is generally based on quality management principles that include strong customer focus, motivation and implication of top management, and improvement of business approach and processes. Utilizing ISO 9001 helps ensure that customers get consistently high quality products and services, while expanding business opportunities for the provider. Detailed information about ISO 9001 can be found on ISO’s website.

Meanwhile, AS9100 is designed to revolutionise the quality management system for aviation, along with the aerospace and defense sector as a whole. The standard identifies a strict set of rules and guidelines in providing safe and reliable goods and services to the aerospace industry. It also addresses specific regulatory requirements, including configuration management, design verification, maintenance and safety management, product documentation and identification, control of equipment and machinery, and overall implementation of quality management and plant procedures.

“The AS9100 Certification is very important, especially to small and medium businesses, primarily due to the fact that clients in the aerospace industry are known to be extremely stringent when it comes to choosing their suppliers and partners. Obtaining an AS9100 Certification can attract potential customers because it guarantees the firm’s capability in delivering excellent aerospace products and services,” says Connie Smith from American Quality Management.

Secondly, an organization with AS9100 Certification often receives a significant business advantage within the aerospace industry. Since an AS9100 Certificate is internationally recognized, SMEs have the opportunity to bid for lucrative contracts worldwide. Without this international accreditation, the chances of an SME getting big ticket projects would be minimal.

In addition to this, employment practices are improved significantly upon implementation of the rules and guidelines in AS9100. By maintaining quality resources, people, machine, equipment, software, and facilities, increased customer satisfaction can be achieved. Once the culture of quality has been instilled within the organization, cost savings will manifest through employee efficiency and timely delivery of goods and services.

Furthermore, when AS9100 is successfully implemented in an organization, procedures are better defined, quality is constantly observed, preventive solutions are applied, defect rates decrease, and corrective measures serve to reduce costs.

According to Smith, hiring an experienced and reputable consultant is key for AS9100 accreditation “Quality Management Systems (QMS) experts will be able to assess, evaluate, and audit the company before you apply for the certification. By hiring a capable consultancy firm, you will be guided accordingly to make the process easier and much less of a headache. Additionally, outsourcing a consultant is more economical than hiring an in-house quality assurance team. Consultants can also advise you on how to properly maintain and manage your AS9100 accreditation,” she added.

Those who are looking for a reliable QMS consultant may consider American Quality Management. They have already been in the industry for 25 years and their team of experts specialize in AS9110, AS9120, ISO 9001, ISO 13485, and ISO 14001 Consulting Services. They offer an array of business solutions to SMEs, including system documentation, risk assessment and management, project management, employee training, safety training, safety meetings, and internal auditing.

Randall Briley, COO of INCOTEC said, “When it comes to conforming to the intricate requirements of AS9100 and NADCAP, we always know that AQM will get the job done.”

“During our partnership with AQM, we achieved an AS9100 Revision C upgrade with minimal findings. AQM also constructed a new database system that will help us organize and monitor the current state of all applicable QMS processes,” says Gary M. Carr, Director of Quality Assurance of Sunbank Co.

More information can be found on the company’s Google address and website. It contains useful tips and guidelines on how SMEs can achieve a competitive advantage through ISO and AS Certifications. Interested parties may also connect with American Quality Management through their official Facebook and Twitter pages to stay up to date with their latest news and important announcements.