Benefits of AS9100 Certification

AS9100 refers to a high quality management standard that is currently specified for the aerospace industry. This standard strongly focuses on quality and reliability aspects of items supplied to the aerospace industry. Companies that manufacture aerospace products are also required to hold AS9100 certification. AS9100 certification has been recognized by the U.S. Government and Department of Defense as a standard to qualify a company as a reliable manufacturer. Ensuring safety and security was the basic objective to introduce this new quality management standard throughout the aerospace industry. The older standard ISO 9000 was not stringent enough. As such, the Federal Aviation Administration designed this set of guidelines to ensure a higher level of quality control at each approved manufacturer or machine shop.

AS 9100 Rev C standards require the marking and coding of items to fulfill certain essential compliance standards. A company that provides products for the U.S. Departments of Aviation, Space, or Defense must have proper AS 9100 Rev C registration. The first section of AS 9100 Rev C focuses on the standard parameters and its applications to different organizations. The second section includes the basic requirements as specified in ISO 9000:2005 standards along with the latest updates. Other sections illustrate the general requirements for the entire quality management process. These guidelines also mention certain categories to be provided for documentation, which require a company to provide a quality manual that offers the scope of QMS details. Another segment broadly illustrates what the resource management of an organization should be like. They emphasize effective employee training on resource management and its many applications. Finally, these standards provide details on handling customer contentment with some actions required to remedy problems according to established procedures.

AS 9001 certification is no doubt beneficial for the aviation and space industries. First and foremost, this certification assures enhanced reliability and quality services from participating companies. A certified company must abide by all the specified rules and criteria. AS9001 certification aims at eliminating production risks. These standards also emphasize the need for item unique traceability. According to AS9001 Rev C, the products supplied to the aviation industry should follow procedures similar to UID marking and coding procedures with additional guidance on automated data capture at all phases of production from distribution to maintenance in the field, and more.

The following are some of the major merits of AS 9001 certification:

• This certification is universally recognized. A certified company receives international operational accessibility.

• Guidelines provided by this specification, filter the entire production system. The process becomes more cost effective and refined procedures ultimately reduce product waste and rejection rates.

• The registration ensures a safe and reliable business opportunity for customers.

• An effective Quality Management System improves the entire operating system.

To sum up, an AS9001 certification process is beneficial for all parties involved in the production or manufacturing of parts and products used by the aviation industry. To learn more, about potential solutions for AS9001 compliance, visit www.bluedogtracker.com.

How Blue Dog Tracker can Help Meet AS9100 Rev C

AS 9100 compliance is related to air transport security. It was in 2003, that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) imposed strict guidelines for aerospace industry data collection procedures. The DoD, along with the FAA designed a series of specifications known as AS 9100 Rev C. These standards contain compliance parameters for automated data collection in the aerospace industry. The protocol includes many specifications that must be followed for compliant data collection processes and thorough analysis.

It is required that a distributor or manufacturer that supplies the Aerospace and Defense industries to strictly follow the quality standards of AS 9100 REV C. This specified standard introduces the requirements in 8 broad sections. In addition to these basic requirements, there is a focus on the overall improvement of product standards, in terms of quality and performance with increased productivity. An AS9100 certification ensures a higher standard of quality for companies working under contract in these industries. The field of aviation and space is closely related with a nation’s security. As such, AS9001 REV C certification is necessary both for the product designers and material suppliers. If a contractor ignores quality compliance standards of AS9100 Rev C then a manufacturer or supplier may lose their registration and contract.

AS9100 REV C certification has numerous benefits. Along with product quality improvement, this standard leads to a systematic evaluation of production and tracking procedures. Well planned, systematic processes help to reduce product waste and may ultimately provide savings on overall production costs. Besides, AS9100 REV C being an internationally recognized standard it also helps to increase the brand awareness and reputation of a company.

As9100 REV C emphasizes the importance of implementing automated data capture methods. Automated data capture processes help to track key information and to provide reports based on the analysis of production, maintenance, and service details. Today, there are a large number of devices that supply tools for automated data capture in-line and out in the field for improved tracking with fewer human errors.

Blue Dog Tracker provides efficient data capturing technology, with a unique barcode reader and data entry terminal. The automated data collection solution offered by Blue Dog Tracker captures key information and helps in proper record maintenance. Once a work order or tag is scanned, the data can be appended by using the on-board text terminal. Additionally, it’s easy to upload images of handwritten notes, extra paperwork, and more by using the built-in camera. Once data has been collected, uploading the recorded information to a Microsoft Access database is very simple.

Blue Dog Tracker also offers custom integration solutions for applications, which require a more personalized approach. As experts in AS9100 standards, they can quickly come in to a facility to assist in the implementation of a full service solution. Learn more about this innovative solution by visiting them online at www.bluedogtracker.com.

How AS9100 Certification is Beneficial for Your Company

Manufacturing and production tracking of items is essential for productive business output, regardless of the company or industry. Simple and efficient property and resource identification is a requriement in today’s competitive business world. It facilitates smooth operation at every step in the production and asset management process, including:

• identifying products,

• tracking work procedures,

• tracking inventory,

• tracking of shipments.

Implementation of an automated system is chiefly recommended as a means to ensure accurate assets. Studies show that automated data collection as part of a company’s asset management program can return a 50 % higher return than the actual ERP investment.

The recommended solution for those manufacturers dealing with the aviation, space, and defense industries is currently regulated by the AS9100 standard. In fact, AS9100 certification is mandatory for any suppliers responsible for providing products or services to these organizations. The certification is beneficial to the manufacturer for several reasons, including that a company often receives a boost to reputation and brand quality by holding to such stringent requirements for proper certification. The beneficial prospects of this certification are as follows:

• In order to be certified, companies must meet minimum standards for company management, resource management, and productivity improvement. Since companies are required to meet the standards and the required management processes outlined in the document, it helps develop the company’s infrastructure. In addition, necessary management training and skill enhancement programs improve the employees’ capabilities. The net result is a company made up of employees that are able to perform their jobs with better quality and consistency.

• The certification also specifies standard quality requirements that must be maintained by the company. In order to stay in compliance, the company is required to perform at a higher quality standard than what might have previously existed.

• Customer satisfaction is of primary concern under the certification, and a considerable amount of time is spent discussing techniques, programs, and employee training that can improve customer satisfaction levels. The basic objective of any business organization is customer satisfaction, since without customers there can be no company. Obtaining AS9100 certification requires the company employees to be well trained in customer service and well equipped to handle customer demands, as well as have the ability to analyze production quality and to follow maintenance procedures.

• This certification process ensures that a company has a quality management process and resource protection system. A better knowledge of company resources is required. Also required is proper risk management, which helps a company to improve by reducing financial risks. A recent study by UCLA shows that ISO 9000 standardized companies have significant financial improvements when compared to those companies that aren’t certified.

Blue Dog Tracker is an innovative and unique solution to meeting the challenging standards as specified under AS9100 certification. Take a closer look at this portable device for automated data collection and can learn more about bar coding and AS 9100 certification at www.bluedogtracker.com.