BOXBOROUGH, MA-Intertek, a leading international provider of quality and safety services, announces that it is accredited by the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) to provide third-party auditing and certification to the AS9100:2009 (AS9100C), AS9110:2009 (AS9110A) and AS9120:2009 (AS9120A) standards.

All three standards are based on ISO 9001:2008 and define additional quality management system (QMS) requirements for firms in the aerospace industry. AS9100 is a generic standard that provides QMS requirements for any organization that serves the aviation, space, or defense industries. AS9110 and AS9120 are specialized standards, providing QMS requirements for aerospace maintenance organizations (MROs) and distributors, respectively.

The standards were revised in 2009, primarily to incorporate the changes in the 2008 revision of ISO 9001. Other additions and changes have addressed industry concerns to ensure that the standards continue to be compatible for use by organizations of all types and sizes.

Although the revised standards were published nearly two years ago, certification bodies have only recently been able to seek accreditation, due to delays in the concurrent revision of AS9104/1 ("Requirements for Aviation, Space and Defense Quality Management System Certification Programs").

Intertek has provided global audit and certification services for AS9100 since 2001, when it was first accredited by ANAB for the standard. The company then attained ANAB accreditation for AS9120 in 2005, AS9003 (inspection and test quality system requirements) in 2006, and AS9110 in 2009.

In addition to its management systems auditing services, Intertek also offers a wide range of product testing services for the aerospace and defense industries, including testing of fuels, polymers, lighting and electrical systems.

"Quality management requirements in the aerospace industry are continually evolving. While these changes are beneficial to the quality control process as a whole, they can create problems when adjustments are required to stay in compliance," stated Calin Moldovean, president of Intertek’s Systems Certification group. "Intertek is prepared to help organizations understand the changes and make a smooth transition to the new AS standards."

Intertek is offering a two-day internal auditor training course on AS9100C, with two sessions scheduled in January 2011. This course will help organizations to prepare for the transition and gain a hands-on understanding of process-based auditing. For more information, or to register, visit: http://www.intertek.com/events/2010/AS9100C0-Transition-for-Internal-Auditors/