Benefits of AS9100

What can you expect in return for your investment in an AS9100 Quality Management System (QMS)?

Feedback from ISO 9001:2000 Registered companies shows what you can expect as the payoff from all of your hard work implementing the Quality Management System. AS9100 includes all of the elements of ISO 9001:2000, as well as additional requirements specific to the aerospace industry.

Because of the responsibilities called out in the Standard, organizations often see an increased involvement of top management with regards to the Quality Management System.

This starts with the setting of the Quality Policy and Quality Goals and Objectives. It continues with Management Review looking at data from the QMS, and taking actions to make sure that Quality Goals are met, new Goals are set, and continual improvement is achieved.

With the QMS in place and working for you, the organization is focused towards the Quality Goals. Management is provided with data on a continual basis and able to see progress or lack of progress towards goals and take appropriate action. The organized, scheduled process of conducting Management Review ensures that this evaluation takes place. It provides the mechanism of reviewing goals and performance against goals on a scheduled basis, and for taking action based on the evaluation.

Increased productivity results from the initial evaluation and improvement of processes that occurs during the implementation process and from improved training and qualification of employees. Better documentation or control of processes leads to consistency in performance, and less scrap and rework. Managers experience fewer late night troubleshooting calls; employees have more information for troubleshooting problems on their own.

Customer satisfaction increases are seen as Goals and Objectives take the customer needs into account. Customer needs are better understood as customer feedback is sought, received and analyzed. Goals and objectives are adjusted based on the information and the organization becomes more customer driven. As goals focus on the customer, the organization spends less time focusing on individual goals of departments and more time working together to meet customer needs.

All of this leads to financial rewards, your reward for your hard work and investment in the Quality Management System. In a study conducted by researchers from UCLA results showed that "U.S. publicly held companies traded on the New York Stock Exchange that receive certification under the ISO 9000 Quality Standard show significant improvement in financial performance compared to those companies that have not pursued the standard." *

So work with enthusiasm and optimism, knowing that your organization will be significantly improved by this AS9100 implementation project. You are contributing to the future success and profitability of your company.

When AS9100 is implemented in an organization:

• Well defined and documented procedures improve the consistency of output
• Quality is constantly measured
• Procedures ensure corrective action is taken whenever defects occur
• Defect rates decrease
• Defects are caught earlier and are corrected at a lower cost
• Defining procedures identifies current practices that are obsolete or inefficient
• Documented procedures are easier for new employees to follow
• Organizations retain or increase market share, increasing sales or revenues

Top Reasons Given for Registration:

• Internal operational efficiency
• Lower production costs because of fewer nonconforming products, less rework, lowered rejection rates, streamlined processes and fewer mistakes.
• Access to new markets
  Some markets require AS9100 Registration, some markets favor companies with Registration
• Customer request
  Many organizations are asked by a customer to obtain registration as a requirement to continue or to start doing business with them.
• Reducing costs
  Organizations are recognizing that an effective Quality Management System leads to reduced costs and greater operating margins
  

What will AS9100 do for my organization?

A well designed and implemented Quality Management System, based on AS9100 or ISO 9001:2000 has been shown to provide organizations with the following benefits:

• Reduced costs are obtained through improved product reliability
• Better process control and flow
• Better documentation of processes,
• Greater employee quality awareness
• Reductions in product scrap, rewords and rejections

Free Online Tutorial on the Basics of AS9100