Accreditation opening doors in aerospace sector

From the smallest rivet joint to the engine: materials and products used in aircraft construction and aeronautics have to meet the highest quality standards to guarantee safety and absence of defects. This naturally also applies to electronic components such as printed circuit boards and interconnection solutions, which play a vital role in an aircraft.

“We have been supplying solutions for different applications in aviation for 15 years now, and since 2015 also for safety-relevant applications,” said Florian Titjung, Quality Manager at AT&S. “They range from control units such as the fasten-seatbelt sign in the passenger cabin to highly complex applications in the cockpit.”

Specifically, AT&S interconnect solutions form the core of the primary flight control unit and are also used in engine control units. Many renowned aircraft manufacturers rely on AT&S in this area, Titjung added: “We enjoy the industry’s trust because they know that we deliver quality, and quality is the top priority.”

Aircraft manufacturers only work with companies that meet these highest quality standards and this is why the so-called NADCAP accreditation has been developed. NADCAP stands for National Aerospace and Defence Contractor Accreditation Program. The accreditation program is conducted by the independent Performance Review Institute (PRI). Basically, it also applies to the military sector, in which AT&S is not active. The goal the global aerospace industry pursues with this certification is to guarantee uniform standards for the quality assurance of production and test procedures for all relevant aircraft components.

AT&S recently completed this internationally recognised certification procedure successfully. After more than twelve months of intensive preparation and four audit days, the auditors accredited AT&S according to the NADCAP standards.

“In particular, the external auditors emphasised AT&S’s focus on process control, the extensive automation in production, the company’s commitment to meeting customer requirements and its focus on continuous improvement,” said AT&S CEO Andreas Gerstenmayer. “This opens doors for us not only in aviation, but also towards space technology.”

Only the best companies in the global aerospace supply chain are NADCAP-accredited, confirms Joe Pinto, Executive Vice President and COO of the Performance Review Institute. “It is not easy to obtain NADCAP accreditation. The aerospace industry uses the NADCAP accreditation to find companies that excel in manufacturing quality products through exceptional processes,” he finished.