AKRON, OH — Smithers Quality Assessments received accreditation from ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) for AS9100:2016, the preeminent quality management standard used in the aerospace industry. SQA has offered AS9100 certifications since 2001.

AS9100 is based on the ISO 9001 quality system requirements with additional features unique to the aerospace industry that help satisfy criteria required by key aerospace stakeholders such as the Department of Defense, NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration. As a result of the changes to the ISO 9001:2015 standard and the need to clarify some specific points for aviation, space and defense (ASD) stakeholders, the AS9100:2016 version was released, which then required SQA and all other certification bodies to be accredited for the revised standard.

"SQA will continue working closely with the aerospace industry, including the members of the Industry Controlled Other Party (ICOP), to ensure that we achieve all of the necessary technical requirements for our program to succeed while ensuring that our clients can be transitioned appropriately and on time," said Aaron Troschinetz, general manager, Smithers Quality Assessment, North America.

With this new AS9100:2016 accreditation in place, transitional audit planning for all SQA clients is already underway – well ahead of the June 2017 deadline for all audits to be performed using the AS9100:2016 requirements. All transitional requirements and supporting information can be located through the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG) website www.sae.org/iaqg/organization/9100.htm.