QMS for Northwest Composite Technologies Inc

NOTE:  This is an exercise intended to demonstrate how to develop and put in place a typical ISO based Quality Management System (QMS).  The "company" we have used is purely fictitious, and bears no resemblance to any company or organization known to Aviation Quality International.

Our "company" is named Northwest Composite Technologies (NCT, Inc), located in the Seattle, WA, area of the United States.  NCT started as a small fiberglass repair and fabrication shop in 1995 and has grown to become an active mid-sized firm of 24 employees with vendor contracts in the marine and aerospace industries.  Although the bulk of their work still involves fiberglass, there is a fair amount of contract work that requires other composite materials such as carbon graphite and kevlar.

Most NCT work has been by contract, manufacturing components designed by their customers, which makes NCT subject to customer oversight from their Quality Assurance departments.  Working in the aerospace industry, NCT also has occasional visits from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as part of one customer's FAA approved supply chain.

NCT has designed and built a small sailing dingy, and they are currently enjoying enough sales that they have decided to keep it on the market.  Further, they are considering designing, manufacturing and selling some after market nonstructural components such as fairings and wheelpants for General Aviation aircraft.  

NCT has been encouraged by their customers to "go ISO", and they have lost some contracts to competitors that already have ISO accreditation.  They have seen the handwriting on the wall.  They decided to come to Aviation Quality International to discuss the merits of ISO, and we have signed a consulting contract to lead them in the development of an ISO based Quality Management System (QMS) to be written and ready to support their third party audit and accreditation within one year.  The basic agreement is that Aviation Quality International will provide the QMS expertise and final documentation, NCT will provide the performance.  We can show them the path, but NCT must walk it.

Since NCT is working in the aerospace business, we have selected AS9100: "Quality Systems, Aerospace.  Model for Quality Assurance in Design, Production, Installation and Servicing".

AS9100-2000 is being finalized and is coming on line soon.  It has a very different look and feel than the current AS9100, and the newer format departs completely.  The fundaments, however, are the same, the most notable exception is, a requirement for continuous improvement has been added to AS9100-2000.  Our QMS will include that requirement in anticipation, which should make transition a non-issue.

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