Aeronautics: prepare for your EN 9100 version 2016 certification

The benchmark standard for quality in aeronautics has been revised. Are you a certified professional? Prepare your migration to the 2016 version before September 15, 2018, to take advantage of the changes it brings. Here are the main new features.

The aerospace and defense market is a key sector of the global economy. Its turnover exceeded $630 billion in 2014 in Europe and the United States. In France, the aerospace, defense, and security industry alone was worth €50.8 billion in 2014, 82% of which was generated by exports, representing the largest surplus in the national trade balance. It accounts for 180,000 highly skilled jobs, and the entire sector is estimated to employ 350,000 people, including 50,000 recruited in the last four years.

This predominance can perhaps be explained by the fact that this industry manufactures high-quality products. In this case, the EN 9100* series of standards (design and engineering/production of aerospace products), EN 9110 (maintenance, repair, servicing) and EN 9120 (trading, storage, and distribution activities) are the most widely used by the aerospace and defense sector. " They are essential and prove to be a key to success with major contractors, who are thus assured that requirements relating to quality, safety, meeting deadlines, and cost control are shared and taken into account. In fact, Boeing and Airbus are certified on the basis of this standard, as are 90% of companies active in the sector, from large accounts to SMEs. " says Michel Frances, aeronautics, space and defense expert at the AFNOR group and member of the delegation that represented French and European positions during the drafting of EN 9100 version 2016. Today, more than 18,900 players in the sector hold such a certificate, 5% of which are issued by AFNOR Certification.

Quality and safety throughout the supply chain

And if the standard changes, so does certification! For a certified company, the first priority will be the schedule, since unlike the "parent" ISO 9001:2015 certification, which allows for a three-year transition period, companies will only have fifteen months to complete their transition to the 2016 version. On September 15, 2018, their current certificate (2010 version or earlier) will expire. However, within this limited time frame, they must organize the certification audit and, before that, review their quality management system in light of the new features of the standard. Starting in June 2017, auditors will be able to assess how far companies have come in meeting the new requirements.

The most sensitive aspect of the new version of the text is undoubtedly the obligation for all companies to ensure the quality and safety of products and services provided by external service providers. This applies not only to tier-1 suppliers, but to the entire supply chain. Companies are thus given a key responsibility in detecting counterfeit parts. Where applicable, they must be able to show their customers that they have ensured that their suppliers have put appropriate control processes in place.

Similarly, according to the revised standard, " The organization must plan, implement, and control the processes necessary to ensure product safety throughout the product life cycle. In practical terms, no company will be able to claim to its customers that it was unaware that certain parts designed and delivered by suppliers are difficult to recycle, contain "critical elements," or are subject to obsolescence. On the contrary, the new standard recommends that " risk assessment and management of associated risks, management of critical element security, analysis and reporting of security incidents, communication of such incidents, and training of personnel Consequences: Companies will need to implement new awareness-raising and staff training initiatives on these key points.

A new global environment

But the new standard goes further: it does not just focus on risks, but also gives due consideration to "opportunities," i.e., innovation, and in particular disruptive improvements.

All this with flexibility: EN 9100 version 2016 takes into account the specific constraints of companies, particularly SMEs. In fact, SMEs will be able to argue why certain requirements of the standard do not apply or can be simplified in certain areas, through their " background information (scope of intervention, market positioning, etc.). Recent significant changes: environmental considerations, from a product life cycle perspective, and ethics, from a responsible purchasing perspective, have also been reinforced and are now subject to auditing.

According to its drafters, all of whom are professionally involved in the industry, the new EN 9100 standard demonstrates its ability to adapt to fundamental changes such as the lengthening and internationalization of value chains and the need for innovation through technological breakthroughs. It demonstrates its fundamental contribution to the development of an aerospace and defense industry that is increasingly risk-aware, ethical, efficient, and safe.

* These standards are prepared by the IAQG (International Aerospace Quality Group) within the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization). They are designated EN 9100 in Europe, AS 9100 in the Americas, and JISQ in the Asia-Pacific region. "