Taking on the Aerospace Industry: Three-Day Training Toward AS9100D Certification

Challenging new quality standards

HIROTA PRECISION VIETNAM manufactures precision molds and performs precision machining of metal and plastic parts.

Our company currently operates under international standards such as IATF 16949 and ISO 9001, but with an eye towards future entry into the aerospace field, we have begun efforts to obtain AS9100D certification.

After considering various partners for implementation support, we decided to ask PTC (PTC Consulting, Training and Project Management Co., Ltd.), which has strengths in creating and translating English documents and proposing concrete implementation plans, to provide assistance.

The initial 3-day training session was attended by 45 people.

As the first step of the project, we conducted initial training on the AS9100D over three days, from Friday, June 26th to Sunday, June 28th.

The program included Saturday and Sunday, and a total of 45 people from various departments within the company participated. Lectures and group work were conducted from morning until evening at our office in the Nhon Trach Industrial Park in Dong Nai Province.

An easy-to-understand presentation with real-life examples

The instructor for this session was Mrs. Thao from PTC.

AS9100D is a quality management standard based on ISO 9001, with additional requirements specifically designed for the aerospace, space, and defense industries. Therefore, the standard includes many technical aspects that can be difficult to understand.

During the lecture, Mr. Thao not only explained the requirements of the standard but also provided practical examples based on real work scenarios, helping participants understand the reasons behind each requirement and why it is necessary.

Participants commented that “the many specific examples made the content easier to understand” and that “they were able to see the connection with their own work.” The session became a valuable opportunity for participants to learn the fundamental concepts and principles of AS9100D.

Gain an understanding of other departments’ workflows

During this training, group work sessions were conducted in addition to the lectures.

One of the activities involved analyzing and presenting the workflow of a department that participants do not belong to.

Since employees often focus primarily on their own responsibilities in their daily work, opportunities to closely examine the tasks of other departments and how they connect with preceding and following processes are limited.

Through this activity, participants were able to organize and understand how the information used and data created by each department are connected to subsequent processes and quality management.

In the aerospace industry, quality assurance is required throughout the entire process — from order receipt, manufacturing, inspection, to shipment — rather than being the responsibility of a single department. This group work also provided a valuable opportunity to share and reinforce this mindset across the company.

A 7-month certification project

The support project by PTC is scheduled to proceed over approximately seven months.

The project will begin with a GAP analysis to identify the differences between the current quality management system and the requirements of AS9100D. Based on the results, necessary training, business process reviews, document preparation, and support for creating English-language documents will be carried out in preparation for the certification audit.

These three days of training provided an opportunity not only to learn about the requirements of AS9100D but also to review and reaffirm the connections between the workflows of different departments.

Going forward, the company will continue to steadily advance preparations toward achieving AS9100D certification.