AS9120 Aerospace Management System – Stockists and Distributors
What is AS9120 and who is it for?
AS9120 is the international management system standard for distributors in the aerospace supply chain. It’s part of the AS9100 series of standards operated by the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG).
The standard was first published in 2002 and updated in 2016 to bring it into line with the latest version of ISO 9001, the quality system standard (QMS) it is based upon.
AS9120 has been developed to ensure that aerospace components meet the quality standards specified by the aviation, space and defence (AS&D) industries. AS9120 also requires full traceability and availability of records throughout a product’s chain of custody.
What are the benefits of AS9120 certification?
Safety and quality are critical factors for the AS&D industries. For organisations that procure parts, materials and assemblies for resale to customers within these industries, it’s essential to be able to prove a product’s provenance and quality.
AS9120 certification is recognised and supported as an indicator of quality by aviation authorities, governmental organisations and global industry primary contractors worldwide. Organisations who are certified also claim the following benefits:
- Greater customer confidence.
- Reduced risk of substandard or counterfeit products.
- Improved operational efficiency.
What are the requirements of AS9120?
As with the rest of the AS9100 series, the requirements of AS9120 certification are based on those of ISO 9001, but with additional criteria tailored to the specific needs of aerospace distributors.
Organisations must be able to demonstrate that they meet the requirements of all 10 sections (known as clauses) of the standard. However, it’s important to note that the standard is not prescriptive. Instead, it allows you the flexibility to decide how you want to show how you have met each requirement and to communicate and manage your policy. For example, rather than creating a quality manual, you could opt for a video library or other media.
Managing risk is a key theme that is built into the whole of the AS9120 QMS, ensuring that risk is considered at every stage of the supply chain to effectively prevent issues arising in the first place. Careful planning is required to mitigate the risks associated with everything from staff turnover and managing change to obsolescence and counterfeit products.
In addition to demonstrating the development and implementation of planning processes, other clauses of the standard that an organisation must show they have addressed include: the organisational context, leadership, support, performance evaluation, and improvement.
What are the steps to obtaining AS9120 certification?
The first thing to do when embarking on your journey to AS9120 certification is to read the standard. Copies can be bought direct from IAQG. There are then five main steps to follow:
- 1
Read and understand the standard
It’s advisable to attend an AS9120 training course to gain a solid understanding of the standard and what will be required to implement it within your organisation. - 2
Take action
Assess how ready your organisation is for AS9110 implementation. Before you can be assessed for certification, you will need to have put in place measures to meet all of the requirements of the standard. As the AS series of standards is based on ISO 9001, use our online gap assessment tool to understand what actions your organisation might need to take to meet the standard. - 3
Choose a certification body
Next, it’s time for the certification audit. You’ll need the services of an accredited, independent third-party certification body, such as NSF, to carry out the audit. - 4
Receive audit recommendation
The audit will reveal any areas that that don’t conform to the requirements of the standard. You’ll be given a time period within which to address minor nonconformities and submit to the certification body evidence of the work done to rectify them; however, if any major nonconformities are found, a new audit is usually required. Once all the requirements of the standard are met, the auditor will recommend certification. - 5
Certification is granted
Receiving your AS9120 certificate is a major achievement that is important to celebrate and share with all of your stakeholders.
Continual improvement is at the core of AS9120 certification. To ensure ongoing compliance, a three-year cycle of audits follows: one at the end of year one and another at the end of year two. A recertification audit is carried out at the end of the three-year period after which the cycle begins again.
Why choose NSF for AS9120 certification?
As an ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) accredited third-party certification body, NSF issues thousands of certificates. We are actively engaged in the creation and maintenance of the auditing and oversight standards, including those for the aerospace industry. Our experts have many decades of experience in helping organisations to successfully navigate the requirements of quality management system standards such as AS9120 and the AS9100 series.
We work hard to provide outstanding customer service and take pride in the high scores we receive in our client satisfaction survey.
Transfer your certification
What is an integrated management system?
AS 9120 and the AS9100 series are based on ISO 9001. As such, it follows the same structure of this and other management system standards. This structure is known as Annex SL. Adopting a consistent structure ensures that management systems can be more closely aligned and integrated, helping to deliver efficiencies in an organisation integrating two or more management system standards. At NSF, we can support you in the implementation of multiple standards. Contact us for more information about the benefits of an integrated management system.
