What Are the Six Factors for The AS9100 vs ISO 9001

Quality Assurance is a pivotal factor for determines the long-term success of a business. The ISO 9001 is global benchmark for quality control and assurance. It provides a set of guidelines and procedures that assist companies in fulfilling all clauses and requirements to remain 100% compliant. To maintain brand loyalty, a stable revenue, and market sustainability a company must invest in a quality management system.

While the ISO 9001 is a benchmark for basic quality management guidelines, the AS9100 is the quality control standard designed precisely for the aerospace industry. It builds upon the general requirements of the ISO 9001 standard but also includes additional criteria and controls tailored to the unique needs and challenges of the aerospace sector. The full name of the standard is AS9100 Quality Management Systems and is designed for the Aviation, Space, and defense organizations.

Unfortunately, people often consider all individual standards to be the same. The following blog will focus on the AS9100 vs the ISO 9001. Also, it will elaborate on the factors that clarify the distinct differences between these two accreditations.

What are the six key features of the AS9100?

1.Focus on the aerospace aspects – The demands vary based on the type of industry. The aerospace sector has precise requirements for quality control, which are defined and designed to the AS9100. The requirements are specially oriented to the space, defense, and aviation technologies. These regulatory clauses therefore concentrate on safety and reliability of aerospace products & services.

2.The AS9100 complies with the ISO 9001 – A majority of the AS9100 clauses are based on the fundamental requirements of the ISO 9001. Since the ISO 9001 offers comprehensive protocols for quality management, many requirements will match other types of business sector’s criteria for quality assurance. Thus, the AS9100 essentially complies to the ISO 9001 though it does not encompass every aspect it pursues.

3.Additional requirements – There are additional requirements that are specific to the aerospace industry such as configuration management, risk management, and product safety. These requirements ensure that aerospace organizations maintain high levels of quality, safety, and traceability throughout their processes.

4.Compliance with to all regulatory clauses – There are regulatory clauses that particularly focus on the quality criteria for aviation, defense, and space industries. They are different from the basic ten-clause structure of the ISO 9001. The AS9100 explicitly addresses product safety concerns, focusing on the critical nature of safety within aerospace applications. This is not as explicit in the ISO 9001, although the ISO 9001 does require organizations to consider legal and regulatory requirements related to their products.

5.Configuration management – The complexity of products and services within the aviation industry is high. To match these demands for controls on configuration, the AS9100 provides a special format that helps manage needs throughout the product lifecycle. It also offers a more rigorous form of assurance management versus the ISO 9100.

6.Supply chain control – Given the complex supply chains in the aerospace industry, the AS9100 emphasizes controls and management of suppliers. It ensures that organizations in the aerospace sector maintain holistic control over their supply chain to guarantee quality and the reliability of components. The ISO 9001 focuses on supply chain as well as patterns that are more generic.

Which clauses of the AS9100 are the same as the ISO 9001?

• Organizational context

• Continual improvement

• Monitoring, assessment, and supervision

• Leadership

• Terms and definitions

• Support/resources

• Normative references

The AS9100 and the ISO 9001 are both quality management standards, but they are designed for different industries and have specific requirements tailored to various industries. The confusion is normal as both work for maintaining quality. However, the difference starts with term used to define their names. AS is for aviation. It successfully distinguishes this standard from the comprehensive quality benchmarks of the ISO 9001. 

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