AS9100 Certification is an excellent achievement and gives organisations entry to the valuable OASIS database, opening doors to new business in this highly regulated supply chain.
However, AS9100 only provides a framework. Buyers often impose additional requirements through specific contractual obligations, supplier handbooks and other documents which you need to comply with.
Why Supply Chain Audits Matter in Aerospace
Aerospace components can be safety-critical with even minor defects leading to catastrophic incidents. So ensuring every supplier meets stringent quality and compliance requirements, not only within AS9100 but also as required by the purchasing organisation’s contract or supplier handbook, is essential.
Aerospace supply chains are increasingly complex involving many smaller suppliers across multiple countries. This complexity introduces many risks including poor quality goods, counterfeit or fraudulent components and process non-conformances.
Conducting second-party supplier audits, even for AS9100 certified suppliers, helps to validate their adherence to agreed specifications, processes and procedures – minimising risks.
However, depending on the number and criticality of suppliers this can become time consuming and resource intensive.
Benefits of Outsourcing your Aerospace Supply Chain Audits
There are many benefits to outsourcing your aerospace supplier audits to compliance specialists such as Assent Risk management. We have specialist aerospace consultants who can manage the whole programme, engage with suppliers and impartiality audit against necessary requirements.
Firstly, we’ll work to understand the scope of the relationships with your suppliers, including specific contractual and other requirements.
Using this information we’ll create a Bespoke Supplier Audit Programme taking into account the risk profile of each organisation to ensure the right level of detail and frequency of visits.
Once your bespoke aerospace supplier audit programme is agreed, we’ll conduct the audits, travelling to client sites where necessary, and sampling objective evidence to provide assurance that supplier processes are robust and compliant with your requirements.
Working together with the supplier and you as the client, we’ll help to resolve any issues that arise and ensure that a positive working relationship is maintained.
Trend analysis and year-on-year improvement reporting.
Outsourcing your supplier audit programme brings more added value including our ability to analyse results across all supplier audits and identify trends year-on-year which can help reduce future issues.
Ready to Improve Your Aerospace Supply Chain?
Contact our specialists at Assent Risk Management to discuss how we can help support your AS9100 compliance and supplier assurance.
