What was considered good yesterday may be non-compliant tomorrow.

Quality management systems are like anything else in an Aerospace organization. They must be monitored, maintained, and managed by people who know what they are doing. 

Ignorance is one of the most common reasons for non-compliance regarding the quality management system requirements.  While an organization may have been compliant at one time, it may have drifted away as a result of key personnel changes. The consequences of non-compliance are too great to allow the responsibilities of the quality management system to be handed over to individuals who are not familiar with the industry or its quality and regulatory compliance requirements.

And compliance concerns are quickly growing. 

The Aerospace industry has recently taken several big hits, including COVID-19.  Many organizations have been forced to lay off personnel. This current ‘brain drain’ is creating a deficit of professional knowledge in the sector which presents a significant risk to staying up to date with industry regulations. 

As the industry begins to recover towards the end of 2021 and beyond, it is critical that there are professionals and quality assurance initiatives in place to understand industry requirements to ensure compliance.

Quality Assurance Initiatives

There are several initiatives that Aerospace organizations can implement through the purchase of standards in order to ensure they don’t fall foul of industry compliance regulations. These include;

• First Article Inspection - First Article Inspection is critical to Aviation and Defence companies as it ensures that a product performs as intended. With an effective quality management software solution, escalation rules can be used for rapid resolution if a non-conformance is found. First Article Inspections can be conducted according to the BS EN AS 9102 standard as well as others.

• Traceability - Complex manufacturers require accurate reporting to avoid expensive rework and reduce the time and expense of product recalls. With an effective quality management software solution, manufacturers can ensure quality compliance and complete traceability throughout the product life cycle.

• Supply Chain Management - Managing suppliers through every tier of the supply chain is a critical step to mitigate the growing burden of risk. Quality management standards, such as the BS AS EN 9100 series provide a framework for complete visibility into the supply chain and help hold suppliers accountable for poor quality. They allow Aerospace companies to effectively manage their supply chain to drive down costs and eliminate errors.

To discover more about supply chain management within the Aerospace industry, click here.

Quality Management Standards: How to Ensure Your Aerospace Organization is Compliant

Once you have the necessary initiatives and quality management standards in place within your organization, there are several ways you can ensure continued compliance with the industry regulations:

• Verify your organization is continuously monitoring changes in regulations, industry standards, and contractual requirements

• Never accept any purchase order without reviewing it for new or changed requirements

• Periodically review existing contracts and programs to ensure new or change requirements have not crept in

How to Achieve Quality Assurance with Employee Compliance

When it comes to being compliant, organizational leadership should never assume that they know in detail what all the requirements are, or that their employees have all the requisite knowledge and skills. As a result, all Aerospace businesses need to ensure the following:

• Make sure your employees know the regulations and standards that apply to the organization, which includes top leadership

• Make sure your employees have access to the policies and procedures applicable to their roles and responsibilities sake sure your employees are kept informed of changes to requirements

• Make sure your employees have the resources they need to meet the requirements

• Make sure your employees feel empowered to identify problems, without retribution

• Make sure your organization has the knowledge and skills it needs, if not, go get it

There is no doubt that using standards can ensure the quality of your aerospace products, building crucial trust between you and the rest of your supply chain. With a BSI Knowledge subscription, aerospace quality management is at your fingertips with instant access to over 5,000 best practice documents related to the aerospace industry. It puts the control in your hands, with traceability to monitor and demonstrate your business's access to standards, and self-serve functionality that enables you to manage your subscriptions, standards, users, and content quickly and simply. Request to learn more.

Add the key quality management aerospace standards to your collection today.