AS9100D recertification completed — what this means for aerospace customers.

We completed our scheduled AS9100D recertification audit in February 2026. The audit covered our Shenzhen and Wuxi facilities over 5 days with 2 external auditors. Outcome: continued certification through March 2029 with zero major findings. This post covers what AS9100D actually requires, what the audit involves, and why aerospace customers should care.

§ 01 / WHAT

What AS9100D actually requires

AS9100D is the aerospace-specific quality management standard, built on ISO 9001:2015 with additional aerospace-specific requirements. Key elements that a certified supplier must maintain:

Configuration management: documented control of all design and manufacturing document revisions. No ambiguity about which drawing rev is being built.
Purchasing controls: only approved suppliers for raw materials, coatings, heat treatment, inspection services. Regular audits of sub-tier suppliers.
First-article inspection: AS9102 FAI for first production run of any new part. Documented dimensional and process verification.
Non-conformance handling: any deviation from drawing or spec is documented, root-caused, and corrected. Trends analyzed; recurrence prevented.
Traceability: every part traceable back to material lot, operator, machine, tooling. Essential for aerospace where field failures require investigation.
Special processes qualification: welding, heat treatment, non-destructive testing require specific certified processes. Operators and equipment qualified.
Risk management: proactive identification of risks to product quality and customer satisfaction. Mitigation documented.

§ 02 / WHAT

What the audit actually involved

For transparency, here's what our audit covered over the 5 days:

Day	Focus area
Day 1	Opening meeting, documentation review (quality manual, procedures, forms). Review of management review meeting records and internal audit results from 2025.
Day 2	Manufacturing process audit. Auditors walked the floor, observed setup, machining, inspection of specific aerospace jobs in progress.
Day 3	Purchasing and supplier controls. Audit of incoming material records, supplier approvals, sub-tier process qualifications (heat treat, finishing).
Day 4	Corrective action records. Review of non-conformance reports from 2025 — what was the issue, what was the root cause, what corrective action was taken, did it prevent recurrence?
Day 5	Top management interview, closing meeting, findings summary.

External auditors don't just check that procedures exist — they verify that procedures are actually being followed and that the evidence matches the documentation. They'll pick specific parts from the past year and trace them completely through the quality system.

§ 03 / WHY

Why this matters to aerospace customers

For customers doing aerospace or adjacent work, AS9100D certification matters because:

Tier-1 aerospace suppliers require it. Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed, Raytheon, and their tier-1 suppliers mandate AS9100-certified supply chain. Without certification, we couldn't bid on this work even as tier-2.
Audit passing means systems work. It's not enough to claim quality processes. External auditors verify. We've passed repeatedly since initial certification in 2018.
Specific technical capabilities: AS9102 FAI, configuration management, traceability — these are real operational capabilities, not paperwork. Certification is evidence they function.
Risk reduction: for customers' own quality systems, using certified suppliers simplifies their AS9100 compliance. Our certification flows into your supply chain documentation.

§ 04 / CERTIFICAT

Certifications we currently maintain

Certification	Scope	Valid through
ISO 9001:2015	General quality management	October 2027
AS9100D	Aerospace quality management	March 2029
ISO 13485:2016	Medical device quality	June 2028
ISO 14001	Environmental management	September 2027

IATF 16949 (automotive) is under evaluation; we expect certification decision by Q3 2026 if customer demand warrants. For customers currently in or entering aerospace, medical, or automotive supply chains, the appropriate certification is typically required before we can officially bid on the work.