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Aerospace: Certification according to the EN 9100 series

Conformity Mark EN 9100

Quality management for safety in aerospace

Safety and quality are fundamental requirementsin the aerospace industry, as even small errors can have serious consequences.

Certification to a 9100 series standard is a necessary prerequisite for approval as a supplier in the industry.

Aircraft manufacturers and their first-tier suppliers (first-tier direct suppliers) require corresponding certification. This fulfils all national and international quality and safety requirements of the industry and actively increases the reliability and quality of every certified company for the benefit of their customers worldwide.

To ensure that this remains the case, the industry is constantly changing, developing and improving its safety measures and procedures.

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Target group

The target group includes all companies in the aerospace industry supply chain - from individual parts suppliers and engineering companies to engine, component and finished product manufacturers. For suppliers of most well-known manufacturers of finished components or products (original equipment manufacturers, OEMs for short), certification is required when initiating and maintaining business relationships.

Good reasons for certification according to the EN 9100 series

  • Internationally recognised quality management standard that guarantees global comparability and improves your competitiveness
  • Entry ticket to the market: an essential prerequisite for being authorised as a supplier in the industry
  • Objective and credible proof of the effectiveness of your QMS
  • Proof of trust towards customers, business partners and investors
  • Raising your employees' awareness of IT security
  • Cost reduction through the avoidance of system malfunctions
  • Continuous improvement of your IT processes and effective protection of your information, data and business processes
  • Ongoing optimisation of the efficiency of your corporate management through the accompanying certification of your integrated management system

Important changes in the EN 9100 family

The EN series of standards will be replaced by the IA series of standards, i.e. in future the standards will be called IA 9104-1, IA 9101 and IA 9100, IA 9110, IA 9120.

Most recently, two important standards in the EN 9100 family were revised: IA 9104-1 and IA 9101 - with effects on EN 9100, 9110 and 9120.

Both standards together regulate the planning, implementation and documentation of audits in the EN 9100 series.
 

  • The structure has been simplified. Instead of the previous four, there are now only two certification structures: "Single Site" (one site) and "Multiple Site" (several sites). "Campus Site" and "Several Site" have been cancelled without replacement. The organisations previously classified under these structures will belong to the "Multiple Site" structure after the changeover.
  • The calculation for the audit effort (OCAP, Organisation Certification Analysis Process) is now much more comprehensive and, in addition to the size of the organisation, takes into account QM key figures such as customer satisfaction and adherence to deadlines, customer requirements, complexity of the processes and factors of the QMS as well as the internal audit system. This information is then requested for our annual audit planning.
  • The audit time is defined in the new standard as the sum of the audit duration (time spent on the audit) plus planning and reporting. At least 20% of the audit time must be spent on planning and preparing the report. This time should be used to improve the effectiveness of the audit and increase the added value for the audited organisation.
  • For the risk assessment, it is irrelevant whether the certified organisation generates 0%, 10% or 100% of its turnover with aviation customers.
  • The standard owner IAQG requires in IA 9104-1 that a certified organisation must provide all necessary data for the calculation (questionnaire) at least 90 calendar days before the planned audit date. This deadline must be contractually agreed in advance. As a date for the audit is mandatory, you should already agree the date for the next audit at the end of the audit.
  • The maximum permissible proportion of remote audits is increased from 30 % to 50 %.
  • Together with the calculation rules, the OASIS database will be converted to version 3.

  • Appointments agreed at an early stage increase planning reliability.
  • Instead of the previous 30%, up to 50% of the audit time can now be carried out remotely (risk-based) - with all the benefits of remote audits such as flexibility, lower travel costs for your team and ours, the involvement of your teams regardless of their location and access to our global network of experts.
  • Audit time can be allocated more flexibly for organisations with multiple locations - to where it is needed most.
  • The risk-based approach of the new calculation method makes it possible to reduce audit time by 10% if the QMS is performing well (and increase time by 10% if the risk is high).
  • The OASIS database will be qualified for the current requirements of the industry in order to be able to use it even better for monitoring existing suppliers and searching for new ones. Wherever a high risk is identified, audits are stepped up. This increases security in the supply chain.

And here's what's next for you:

The revised IA 9104-1 is expected to be published in 2025. We will carry out the transition in a special audit, which we can perform together with your next regular audit. All OASIS database administrators will be informed of the database changeover by the standard owner via OASIS. As certified organisations generally only have to read the database or, at best, provide data for NCR processing, no significant additional work is expected here.

Accreditation by the DAkkS (Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle GmbH) is not expected before the beginning of 2026. You can therefore wait and see, as the new method cannot be applied before then.

The first audits in accordance with the new regulations will not take place before 2026. Please note: The changeover is mandatory!

The audit process for EN 9100 certification

1

Step 01

Enquiry, offer preparation & explanation

2

Step 02

Commissioning & individual scheduling

3

Step 03

Audit: Understanding the organisation & determining readiness for certification

4

Step 04

Identifying potential for improvement

5

Step 05

Fast four-eye check & certificate creation

6

Step 06

External TÜV certificate

7

Step 07

Continuous further development of the management system & competitiveness

Frequently asked questions

FAQ on EN 9100

The 9100 family stands for a comprehensive quality management system for manufacturers and suppliers in the aerospace industry. It is based on the well-known standard ISO 9001 with the addition of aerospace-specific requirements, for example in relation to operational risk management or document and verification management. In this way, companies certify themselves to a standard from the 9100 family and ISO 9001 at the same time.

Based on the DIN EN ISO 9001 standard, there are three standards for the certification of the relevant company services:

1) EN 9100 for design, development, production, assembly and maintenance

2) EN 9110 for maintenance and repair

3) EN 9120 for dealers and stockists

In addition to the basic requirements for a quality management system, the standard requirements of the 9100 family focus on the following areas:

  • Process orientation and evaluation of processes by means of key figures
  • Project management including customer-specific requirements for processes and products
  • Risk management based on analysis and evaluation, for example when using new technologies
  • Greater safety for the entire service life of a product
  • Traceability of all raw materials, materials, processes, tools and the qualifications of the personnel used in accordance with customer requirements
  • Definition of safety and function: to comply with the requirements of customers and authorities

In principle, all companies in the aerospace industry supply chain - from individual parts suppliers and engineering companies to engine, component and finished product manufacturers. For suppliers of most well-known manufacturers of finished components or products (original equipment manufacturers, OEMs for short), certification is required when initiating and maintaining business relationships: Certification is mandatory in order to register as a supplier in the international database "Online Aerospace Supplier Information System" (OASIS database) of the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG).

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