It appears that SAE is planing to release revision C of the ubiquitous AS9100 standard for aerospace quality. There is a decent write-up about the impending changes over at the Standards Store.
An interesting article in Quality Digest describes software tools to help reduce errors in manufacturing… the common thread is managing the technical data package.
A recent quality report by the ASQ (American Society for Quality) confirmed that times are tough but may not be as bleak as they appear upon first glance for certain companies. It states that:
On the one hand are those going into crisis mode, cutting back and de-emphasizing quality initiatives. On the other hand are those that continue to invest in quality and innovation as a competitive advantage even in the face of economic uncertainty.
Additionally, it confirms that the forward-thinking companies are
redoubling certain quality efforts, placing stronger emphasis on preventive actions, increasing commitment to continuous improvement in order to gain competitive advantage, and gaining a clearer quality focus.
The full report is available here – http://www.asq.org/quality-report/reports/quarterly-quality-report-200901.pdf.
It’s interesting how companies are using the Internet as a means to promote products. There is a campy video that’s been uploaded to YouTube that makes fun of the fact that many companies implement the AS9102 standard in many differing ways. You can see the video by clicking the link below:
I’ve been evaluating some of the software that has emerged over the past couple of years that enables aerospace companies to reduce their cost of complying with the SAE AS9102 standard for first article inspection. It looks like one of the leading packages out there is called DISCUS. From what I can discern, it is now being used by hundreds of companies.