AS9100 | IMS International LLP Blog

AS9100, AS9120 and AS9110:2009 update

Jul 062011

All certification bodies were required to be approved to offer the new AS9100, AS9120 and AS9110 certification services as of 1st July 2011.

All audits within the aerospace sector from now on have to be performed to the new revision, audits to the old revisions are not valid and will not be performed.

All organisations currently holding an old revision certificate have to be fully compliant by 1st July 2012.

Ensure that you are ready for your next assessment and that you have signed your declaration regarding your compliance to the new standard.

If you need any advice or information on your own certification then please do not hesiate to contact IMS International.

CAA announce policy change for orphan aircraft

AS9100 No Responses »

May 122011

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has introduced a change to the policy regarding ‘orphan’ aircraft. An aircraft becomes known as an orphan when the type is no longer supported by a Type Certificate Holder, usually the manufacturer and the State of Design.

Previously, this meant the orphan would only be eligible for a Certificate of Airworthiness (CofA ) through a Type Responsibility Agreement (TRA) which required the owner to monitor and react to continuing airworthiness concerns with the fleet. However, it effectively meant that if one aircraft owner decided to establish a TRA, all affected aircraft were compelled to also continue to hold a CofA. In most cases this went against the wishes of the majority of the aircraft owners, who would be content for their aircraft to hold a Permit to Fly. The policy change will now allow non-EASA orphans to either transfer to a Permit to Fly or remain on a Certificate of Airworthiness.

The CAA said the change of policy will result in fleets of aircraft of the same type having mixed certification, with some on a CofA and others a PtoF, but it allows the decision for the appropriate airworthiness certificate and the application of the corresponding operating limitations to rest with individual aircraft owners.

The CAA has now written to all current TRA holders informing them of the policy change. Any aircraft owner who wants to take advantage of the new policy should notify the TRA organisation of the deletion of the individual aircraft from the TRA and to apply to the CAA Applications and Approvals Department for the initial issue of a PtoF. The CAA will then confirm with the TRA holder when an individual aircraft has been transferred to a PtoF.

AS9100 Rev C Transition Requirements

AS9100, News 1 Response »

Apr 272011

Further to previous correspondence regarding AS9100 changes, an update to the transition requirements has been made. The deadline for transition remains as the 1^st July 2012 and organisations are required to make a formal application to IMS International using the application forms (1 and 1B; both available on the IMS main website); completion of the declaration (also on IMS website) is also required before any auditing activities take place. If you prefer, you are able to submit your own declaration by email, covering letter etc informing IMS that you are conforming to AS9100 revision C.

The days required for AS9100 Rev C transition audits are as follows:

Transition during surveillance audit using 50% of initial audit day requirements as per IAF MD 5 (this table is available to view within Doc 007 on the IMS website) and 100% of the initial audit day requirements of the current AS9104 standard which is also included within Doc 007.

Example; organisation with 10 employees who perform design duties: IAF MD 5 requires 2 days for the initial and AS9104 requires 1.5 days. Taking 50% of the IAF MD 5 requirement gives you 1 day. Therefore the total amount of time required would be 2.5 days.

Transition during recertification audit using 80% of initial audit day requirements of IAF MD 5 and 100% of the initial audit day requirements of the current AS9104 standard.

Example; organisation with 10 employees who perform design duties: IAF MD 5 requires 2 days for the initial and AS9104 requires 1.5 days. Taking 80% of the IAF MD 5 requirement gives you 1.6 days which has to be rounded up to the nearest ½ day so that takes you back to 2. Therefore the total number of days required would be 3.5 days.

Additional time is to be applied as necessary and for completion of the new AS9101 Rev D checklist but this will be dependent on each clients process, a formal quotation will be provided when the enclosed application forms and declaration have been returned.

For Multiple Site organisations the transition during their existing audit cycle, IMS are required to:

Close out the site surveillance audits (including closing and verifying all he NCR’s) against the previous AS9100 B standard.
Complete the audits to the AS9100C standard for all sites required to be audited for a given surveillance cycle (at least 50% of sites).
Complete the Central Function (Head Office) audit and the planned sites audits for that surveillance cycle to the AS9100C standard prior to certification.

For Multiple Site organisations that transition during their recertification year, IMS is required to:

Complete the Central Function (Head Office) audit and all sites audits for that recertification cycle to the new AS9100C standard prior to recertification.

If you would like to download and complete the application forms and declarations then visit the IMS website and go to the Documents Page

Benefits of UKAS Accredited Certification/Inspection Bodies

AS9100, CE Marking, ISO 14001, ISO 9001, Notified Body, OHSAS 18001, Reliance Technical Service, Testing No Responses »

Mar 212011

The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the Sole Appointed National Accreditation Body within the United Kingdom.

On the 9th July 2008 the EU Parliament and the Council of the European Union adopted the EU Regulation 765/08 on Accreditation and Market Surveillance.

With effect from the 1st January 2010, the EU Regulation established a legal framework for the provision of accreditation services across Europe. The Department for Business Innovation & Skills appointed the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) as the UK’s NAB.

UKAS are signatories to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), the European Co-operation on Accreditation (EA) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Co-operation (ILAC).

If you are responsible for ensuring your business is certified make sure the certification body you select is accredited by UKAS. UKAS Accreditation provides assurance in the market as UKAS accredited certification bodies operate to recognised standards. The accreditation process provides consumers with the confidence that the quality of the service they procure is of a consistently high standard.

Choosing a UKAS Accredited Certification and/or Inspection Body adds a number of benefits to your business which include:

de-risk your procurement by taking the guesswork out of choosing a certification body and by giving you the confidence that you will get the service that best fulfils your requirements;
win new business particularly since the use of accredited services is increasingly a stipulation of specifiers, most notably in the public sector;
facilitate access to international markets since UKAS accredited certificates are recognised throughout the world;
help you to identify best practice since your certification body is required to have appropriate knowledge of your business sector;
control costs with the help of knowledge transfer since accredited certification bodies can be a good source of impartial advice;
offer market differentiation and leadership by showing to others credible evidence of good practice;
demonstrate due diligence in the event of legal action;
reduce paperwork and increase efficiency by reducing the necessity to re-audit your business

IMS International LLP are accredited by UKAS (Certification Body number 078) for ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004, AS9100 Rev B, AS9120 and ISO 9001:2008 TickIT.

Reliance Technical Service Ltd are accredited by UKAS (Inspection Body number 0430) for ISO 17020 inspections. Reliance are also a Notified Body (NB 2141) for the Safety of Toys for Europe.

Dongguan Testing Laboratory are accredted by CNAS (Testing Laboratory Number 3783) for the testing of toys to EN71 for the Safety of Toys.

For further information on the IMS group and the services we provide, visit our main website www.imsworld.org

BBC News; Continental 'responsible' for Concorde Crash

AS9100, News No Responses »

Dec 062010

The below information is taken from the BBC website:

A Paris court has said Continental Airlines was “criminally responsible” for the crash of a Concorde supersonic jet 10 years ago, and fined it 200,000 euros (£170,000).

It has also been ordered to pay 1m euros to the jet’s operator Air France.

A Continental mechanic, John Taylor, was given a 15-month suspended prison sentence over the crash.

Continental has said it will appeal, saying the verdict is “absurd” and “only protects French interests”.

Another airline operative, Stanley Ford, and three French officials were cleared.

The Concorde caught fire shortly after take-off from Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris in July 2000, killing 113 people.

The court ruled that the crash was caused by a piece of metal left on the runway after falling from a Continental jet. Investigators said this caused a tyre-burst in the Concorde, which in turn ruptured a fuel tank.

The judge in the case confirmed investigators’ findings that titanium debris dropped by a Continental DC-10 onto the runway at Charles de Gaulle airport before the Concorde took off was to blame.

Mr Taylor should not have used titanium parts to make repairs on the DC-10 because the metal was known to be too dangerous for aeroplane tyres, and he should have used a softer metal, aluminium, instead, the court found.

Continental had disputed this interpretation, saying the airliner, operated by Air France, was already in flames before it hit the small piece of titanium.

“While we agree with the court’s decision that Stanley Ford was innocent of the charges he faced and we share his relief that his decade-long nightmare is over, we strongly disagree with the court’s verdict regarding Continental Airlines and John Taylor and will of course appeal this absurd finding,” a UK-based Continental spokesman said in a statement.

“Portraying the metal strip as the cause of the accident, and Continental and one of its employees as the sole guilty parties, shows the determination of the French authorities to shift attention and blame away from Air France, which was government-owned at the time and operated and maintained the aircraft, as well as from the French authorities responsible for the Concorde’s airworthiness and safety.”

Compensation

Financial claims were not the trial’s focus, but apportioning blame was, says the BBC’s Christian Fraser in Paris.

However, the court ruled that Continental should pay 70% of any compensation claims to the families of victims. Aerospace group EADS was asked to pay the remaining 30%.

Following Monday’s verdict, Air France, which paid out 100m euros in compensation, may decide to seek to reclaim some of that money from Continental.

There is a separate court case taking place over economic compensation for the crash.

Most of the passengers were German tourists heading to New York to join a luxury cruise to the Caribbean. Nine French crew members and four hotel workers also died.

OASIS Database

AS9100 No Responses »

Jul 162010

The OASIS Database is the Online Aerospace Supplier Information System and is used to aid in the management and transparency of the AS9100, AS9120 and AS9110 standards.

The OASIS database is free to join as a user and will give you access to all Certification Bodies (including IMS), all Training Providers, all Accreditation Bodies (UKAS), all Qualified Auditors, all Certified Organisations plus other bits of information with regards to the Aerospace Series of standards. Certificates can be validated and no one can enter information if they are not approved on the scheme which has reduced the uncertainty over some certificates out in the field which do not look genuine.

You are able to view any organisations approval status, view a copy of their certificate of registration and see when their last audits were. If you require, you can also ask for permission by the organisations administrator to view the details of the audit report.

Submission to the OASIS database is a mandatory requirement as part of the scheme and IMS personnel will upload all required documentation upon successful certification to one of the Aerospace standards. This is currently chargeable by the IAQG (International Aerospace Quality Group) on a three year subscription basis. Each certified client is required to setup an administrator who is responsible for managing their organisations information (address and contact details etc), they are also responsible for granting access to hidden information such as the audit report when requested. Having an administrator is a mandatory requirement and IMS will not issue a certificate until this process has been completed.

The OASIS database can also be used for researching possible new clients or suppliers. Anyone who is on the OASIS database will be involved in the aerospace or possibly the military industries so you can find customer and supplier information as required. This could be used to help manage your supplier approval status as alerts can be setup to inform you of information changing with regards to certain suppliers who you may be interested in.

There is also a feedback loop built into the database that can be used to feedback information to the Certification Body for any particular client. This can be good information, suggestions for areas to look at during the next audit or poor feedback. The Certification Body has to respond to any requests whether they are good or bad.

During the IMS surveillance visits we will be verifying the OASIS administrator within your organisation to ensure that the nominiated person remains employed and they have clear access to the database. Too many organisations are not even aware of the database and they have also struggled to gain access as the orginal administrator left a few years ago.

You can access the database by visiting www.iaqg.org and clicking on the oasis database hyperlink.

If you require any further information on the OASIS database or anything related to the aerospace scheme please do not hesitate to contact me.

AS9100/9120/9110:2009 Update-Transition Requirements

AS9100 No Responses »

Jul 022010

We have now been given further guidance on the implementation plans for IMS and also clients to the new AS9000:2009 series of standards (AS9100, AS9120, AS9110).

Guidance has been released on the time required to complete the transition audit for clients, you need to be aware of this to help you plan your implementation process. As mentioned before, if you implement AS9100C now, you must still be compliant to AS9100B for the time being as Certification Bodies including IMS are not permitted to certify to the new standard until 2011. The deadline for transition is 1^st July 2012 and a timeline map is available on this blog.

The days required for AS9100 Rev C transition audits are as follows:

Transition during surveillance audit using 50% of initial audit day requirements as per IAF MD 5 (this table is available to view within Doc 007 on the IMS website) and 100% of the initial audit day requirements of the current AS9104 standard which has also been published on the IMS website.

Example; organisation with 10 employees who perform design duties: IAF MD 5 requires 2 days for the initial and AS9104 requires 1.5 days. Taking 50% of the IAF MD 5 requirement gives you 1 day. Therefore the total amount of time required would be 2.5 days.

Transition during recertification audit using 80% of initial audit day requirements of IAF MD 5 and 100% of the initial audit day requirements of the current AS9104 standard.

Example; organisation with 10 employees who perform design duties: IAF MD 5 requires 2 days for the initial and AS9104 requires 1.5 days. Taking 80% of the IAF MD 5 requirement gives you 1.6 days which has to be rounded up to the nearest ½ day so that takes you back to 2. Therefore the total number of days required would be 3.5 days.

The audit reports are no longer permitted to be completed on-site; therefore a small amount of additional time shall be added to the allocated time to complete this, there are no reductions allowed from the AS9104 table. The good news is that the scoring mechanism is no longer a requirement; I know a number of you will be happy to hear this.

For Multiple Site organisations the transition during their existing audit cycle, IMS are required to:

Close out the site surveillance audits against the previous AS9100B standard by issuing an audit report for all sites audited prior to conducting the surveillance transition to AS9100C.
Complete the audits to the AS9100C standard for all sites required to be audited for a given surveillance cycles.
Complete the Central Function (Head Office) audit and the planned sites audits for that surveillance cycle to the AS9100C standard prior to certification.

For Multiple Site organisations that transition during their recertification year, IMS is required to:

Complete the Central Function (Head Office) audit and all sites audits for that recertification cycle to the new AS9100C standard prior to recertification.

If your organisation runs shift patterns then this needs to be taken into consideration as the auditors are required to cover all shifts during the audit and additional time will be required.

In order for your to seek certification to the new AS9100C standard you must formally declare your interest to IMS by completing the audit questionnaires (Form 01 and Form 01B, both are available on the IMS website). Please ensure that you notify us of your planned date for certification to the new standard.

Prior to IMS performing the transition audit you are also required to formally declare to IMS your conformance to the new standard before we schedule the transition audit. This has been left open in terms of how to approach this, a simple letter or email would suffice.

IMS will ensure that we have systems in place for ensuring that all current AS9100 clients have completed their application and their declaration to make certain we are all compliant together.

If you should require any further guidance please do not hesitate to contact IMS using the usual contact methods.

EWIS and EZAP

AS9100, Legislation No Responses »

Jun 222010

EWIS is short for Electrical Wiring Interconnection Systems and was introduced in September 2008 by European Aviation Safety Agency and the Federal Aviation Administration and requires holders of Type Certificates for large aircraft (CS-25-Certification Specifications for Large Aeroplane). An entirely new Subpart (Subpart H) has been added to CS-25.

The addition requires existing TC Holders to develop EWIS Instructions for Continued Airworthiness (ICA) derived from the Enhanced Zonal Analysis Procedure (EZAP) is imposed through the provisions of Part 21A.3B©1 for existing TCs, 21A.21©(3) for applicants for TC and 21A.103(a)(2)(iii) for applicants for changes to TC. All TC holders should have been notified of the applicability of those provisions through a dedicated letter in October 2008. FAR 26 has been introduced in the USA as the equivalent system requirement.

The applicant must conduct analyses if the STC requires a revision of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness (ICA) applicable to Electrical Wiring Interconnection System (EWIS) as defined below that include the following:

Maintenance and inspection requirements for the EWIS developed with the use of an Enhanced Zonal Analysis Procedure (EZAP) that includes:

a. Identification of each zone of the aeroplane.

b. Identification of each zone that contains EWIS.

c. Identification of each zone containing EWIS that also contains combustible materials.

d. Identification of each zone in which EWIS is in close proximity to both primary and back-up hydraulic, mechanical, or electrical flight controls and lines.

e. Identification of:

• Tasks, and the intervals for performing those tasks, that will reduce the likelihood of ignition sources and accumulation of combustible material, and

• Procedures, and the intervals for performing those procedures, that will effectively clean the EWIS components of combustible material if there is not an effective task to reduce the likelihood of combustible material accumulation.

f. Instructions for protections and caution information that will minimize contamination and accidental damage to EWIS, as applicable, during the performance of maintenance, alteration, or repairs.

The ICA must be in the form of a document appropriate for the information to be provided, and they must be easily recognizable as EWIS ICA.

Enhanced Zonal Analysis Procedures (EZAP)

Zonal Inspection is a collective term comprising selected Visual Inspections and Visual Checks that are applied to each zone, defined by access and area, to check system and power plant installations and structure for security and general condition.

Levels of inspection applicable to EWIS.

Detailed Inspection (DET).

An intensive examination of a specific item, installation or assembly to detect damage, failure or irregularity. Available lighting is normally supplemented with a direct source of good lighting at an intensity deemed appropriate. Inspection aids such as mirrors, magnifying lenses or other means may be necessary. Surface cleaning and elaborate access procedures may be required.

General Visual Inspection (GVI).

A visual examination of an interior or exterior area, installation or assembly to detect obvious damage, failure or irregularity. This level of inspection is made from within touching distance unless otherwise specified. A mirror may be necessary to enhance visual access to all exposed surfaces in the inspection area. This level of inspection is made under normally available lighting conditions such as daylight, hangar lighting, flashlight or droplight and may require removal or opening of access panels or doors. Stands, ladders or platforms may be required to gain proximity to the area being checked.

EWIS inspections may apply to the following components and systems:

(1) Wires and cables.

(2) Bus bars.

(3) The termination point on electrical devices, including those on relays, interrupters, switches, contactors, terminal blocks, and circuit breakers and other circuit protection devices.

(4) Connectors, including feed-through connectors.

(5) Connector accessories.

(6) Electrical grounding and bonding devices and their associated connections.

(7) Electrical splices.

(8) Materials used to provide additional protection for wires, including wire insulation, wire sleeving, and conduits that have electrical termination for the purpose of bonding.

(9) Shields or braids.

(10) Clamps and other devices used to route and support the wire bundle.

(11) Cable tie devices.

(12) Labels or other means of identification.

(13) Pressure seals.

(b) The definition in subparagraph (a) of this paragraph covers EWIS components inside shelves, panels, racks, junction boxes, distribution panels, and back-planes of equipment racks, including, but not limited to, circuit board back-planes, wire integration units and external wiring of equipment.

(c) Except for the equipment indicated in subparagraph (b) of this paragraph, EWIS components inside the following equipment, and the external connectors that are part of that equipment, are excluded from the definition in subparagraph (a) of this paragraph:

(1) Electrical equipment or avionics that is qualified to environmental conditions and testing procedures when those conditions and procedures are :

(i) Appropriate for the intended function and operating environment, and

(ii) Acceptable to the Agency.

(2) Portable electrical devices that are not part of the type design of the aeroplane. This includes personal entertainment devices and laptop computers.

(3) Fibre optics.

ISO Certification Application and Audit Process

AS9100, ISO 14001, ISO 9001 1 Response »

Jun 122010

Not everyone is 100% clear on the certification process from initial application to the certificate being issued so we have developed this simple flowchart to detail this. It also highlights what the auditor will be looking at during each of the stages (stage 1 and stage 2).

The same process will be followed should a currently certified client wish to add another site or standard such as ISO 14001 when they already have ISO 9001 in place.

If you require any specific or further information please do not hesitate to contact us.

ISO Certification Audit Process and what the Auditor will review during the stage 1 and stage 2 audit

Changes to Scopes of Certification

AS9100, ISO 14001, ISO 9001 No Responses »

Jun 042010

The scope of certification is often overlooked by clients and it is very important that the scope reflects your activities. The scope of certification needs to be unambiguous and consistent with your activities.

The scope of certification and audit is shown on the audit plans which is submitted a few weeks prior to the audit taking place, clients need to review this scope and ensure that no changes are required. Unplanned scope changes cannot be amended during the audit and any changes need to be formally submitted to IMS prior to any activity.

A review is required of the requested changes to ensure that the current assigned auditor is competent to perform the audit against the amended scope, and that enough time has been allowed to complete the audit including the changes required.

If your current scope of certification is the “Refurbishment of Private Dwellings” and you now expand into “Demolition of Properties” then this area will need to be audited in order to bring it into your scope. This process needs to be planned into the forthcoming audit and consideration needs to be taken for the auditor competence, no auditor will be allowed to arrive on the day of the audit and change the scope.

There will not generally be an issue bringing new activities into your scope and in most cases additional audit time will not be required. However, auditors are not authorised to make that decision during the audit, therefore it is very important that you let the head office know prior to the audit that you wish to make a change to the scope.

Please ensure that when you receive the audit plans these are reviewed for content and times and the scope remains accurate. Contact the head office as soon as possible to request a scope change, this must be received in writing.

If you have any questions regarding the above then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Older Entries Newer Entries

AS9100, AS9120 and AS9110:2009 update

CAA announce policy change for orphan aircraft

AS9100 Rev C Transition Requirements

Benefits of UKAS Accredited Certification/Inspection Bodies

BBC News; Continental 'responsible' for Concorde Crash

OASIS Database

AS9100/9120/9110:2009 Update-Transition Requirements

EWIS and EZAP

ISO Certification Application and Audit Process

Changes to Scopes of Certification

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