Alcoa's Howmet laval casting receives AS9100 certification
Alcoa's Howmet Castings unit recently announced that its Howmet Laval Casting plant, located in Laval, Quebec, Canada, has been certified as AS9100 compliant. Laval Casting is the first of Howmet's 18 worldwide casting plants to earn this advanced certification.
According to Michael Senesac, director, sales and marketing for Howmet Aluminum Castings, "The establishment of the AS9100 standard is the result of an effort by the FAA and leading aerospace original equipment manufacturers (OEMs),to establish a single, industry-wide standard for quality. OEMs want to work with suppliers who are certified under this standard."
AS9100 provides a global standard for quality management practices. Areas covered include traceability, subcontractor management, tool procurement,process, equipment and inventory control, and inspection requirements. Renald Robert is the quality manager of the Laval facility. He says, "Achieving AS9100 certification is a significant milestone for our operation. We gain customer recognition by adhering to this standard, because the entire industry is confident that AS9100-certified suppliers will live up to stringent quality expectations."
The AS9100 standard commits its certificate holders to a rigorous program of continuous improvements. Such a commitment is helpful for making steady improvements in quality, cycle time and manufacturing costs.
According to Robert, "The goals are to improve quality and on-time delivery at the lowest possible cost. The AS9100 standard helps keep everyone focused on delivering quality products on time."
