CSS Achieves AS9100 Certification
The company is now listed on the Online Aerospace Supplier Information System (OASIS) database of aerospace-certified suppliers.
Posted: September 15, 2014
Connecticut Spring & Stamping (CSS; Farmington, CT), a manufacturer of precision parts for the medical, aerospace, firearms and defense industries worldwide, reported that it is now certified to AS9100, the quality management systems standard applicable to companies that supply to aerospace and defense industries.
The AS9100 quality management certification, originally achieved in 2001 and renewed most recently in May 2014, demonstrates the company’s ongoing commitment to producing the highest quality products for the critical aerospace market. The certification also means CSS is listed on the Online Aerospace Supplier Information System (OASIS) database of aerospace-certified suppliers.
CSS supplies safety-critical, tight tolerance components used in engines, cockpit instrumentation, and flight landing systems, including special alloy harness clips for holding wires in place inside the engine as well as other components used on laser guidance systems for missiles and smart bombs.
Other parts include blade locks, double torsion springs, retainer linear, spring regulators, and clutch springs, as well as retention and tension spring clips, compression springs, pressure speed springs, and seal ring springs.
As part of the AS9100 certification process, CSS is audited annually by an accredited and approved registrar. The three to five day audit, an in-depth review of all the company’s functional departments, documents any system failures that require corrective action by CSS before the issue of the certificate.
The company is also required to conduct a risk analysis before beginning manufacturing of any new product, to look at what might go wrong and proactively attempt to mitigate the risk. The most recent audit, conducted by American Systems Registrar (ASR), found only very minor observations and suggestions for improvements.
“Most major aerospace manufacturers and suppliers worldwide require their suppliers’ compliance and/or registration to AS9100 as a condition of doing business,” said Gerald Godburn, the quality systems manager for CSS. “The AS9100 certification process has been very useful in compelling us to develop logical procedures that lead to consistency in quality. We are driven to do a much better job of identifying potential quality issues before accepting a contract, and negotiating acceptable solutions that meet the needs of both parties.”
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