Quality
Quality is the paperwork that outlives the part
A conforming part with an incomplete record is a liability. This page sets out how the record is produced, what it contains, and — in the last section — exactly what we are not certified to do.
Certification status, stated plainly
Buyers lose more time to a supplier’s misdescribed certificates than to any other single issue. So this comes first.
Manufacturing is performed at qualified partner facilities. Those facilities hold their own quality system certifications, and the certificates are provided for your audit — in their name, not ours.
Our own quality system is built to the AS9120 and AS9100 discipline those programmes require. Certification is in progress. Until it is issued, we describe it as in progress and nothing more.
What you should ask any supplier in this position: “Whose certificate is on the page you just sent me?” If the answer is not immediate, the document is decoration.
First article, in six steps
AS9102 format, submitted for approval. The report is a deliverable, not an attachment to an apology.
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| Planning | Inspection plan written against the drawing before the first part is cut |
| Ballooning | Every characteristic numbered on the drawing and carried into the report |
| Dimensional | Measured on the specified equipment, with the actual values recorded |
| Material | Certificates checked against the callout, and against the heat actually used |
| Process | Weld, heat treat, finish and test records attached where the drawing calls for them |
| Submission | Report issued in AS9102 format and submitted for your approval, not for information |
Where a drawing changes after the first article, the affected characteristics are re-inspected and the report is reissued with the change referenced. A partial re-inspection is stated as partial.
Traceability, five levels deep
“Full traceability” means nothing on its own. This is the granularity we actually record.
| Level | What is recorded |
|---|---|
| Heat and lot | Material certificate tied to the melt or lot that went into the parts |
| Process card | Every operation, with the parameters used and the date it ran |
| Operator | Who performed each operation, signed at the operation, not at the end |
| Serial | Unit-level identity marked on the part and carried onto the paperwork |
| Retention | The record set stays with the programme file for the period the quality agreement states |
Change control and nonconformance
Two processes that decide whether a programme stays under control after month six.
Change control
Nothing changes without a written instruction: not a process parameter that improves yield, not a sub-tier source, not a material substitution, not a facility. Each change is assessed for effect on the approval, and the assessment goes to you before implementation.
Unapproved change is the fastest way to void a first article and, potentially, an approval.
Nonconformance
A nonconformance is raised, contained and reported with the evidence, including how many units are affected and where they are. A concession is requested from you, not assumed.
Corrective action is closed only when the verification shows the cause is gone — not when the paperwork is complete.
What we do not claim
Five statements. Each one is a question a quality manager should ask, answered before it is asked.
- We are not an AS9100 certified organisation, and we do not present a partner’s certificate as ours.
- We do not hold a design approval, and we do not issue approval data.
- We are not a repair station, and we do not perform approved repairs.
- We do not have a DER on staff. Where a DER finding is needed, it is your DER or one you appoint.
- We do not describe our quality system certification as complete while it is in progress.
The record set, itemised
What a shipment contains, and what stays in the file for the audit that comes later.
- Certificate of conformity against the shipped revision
- First article report, where the batch is a first article
- Material certificates with heat and lot references
- Process traveller with operator sign-off
- Nonconformance and concession records where raised
- Test and inspection data called out by the drawing
Want to audit before you commit?
A desk audit and a facility visit can be arranged before the first purchase order. Ask for the certificate set and see whose name is on each page.