Oklahoma Aerospace Alliance boosts new management procedures

CapitolBeatOK Staff Report

Published 10-Feb-2011

The Oklahoma Aerospace Alliance (OAA) will host forums in Oklahoma City and Tulsa this month to discuss the group’s mandated changes to a management system known as AS9100 (Revision C, in this case, specifically the audit and checklist and processes).

The AS9100 is the aerospace industry’s standardized quality management system first introduced in 1999, but through the years, rewrites were necessary to keep the industry from falling behind.

“The AS9100 Revision C can be complex without any guidance or direction,” OAA Executive Director Mary Smith said today in a statement sent to CapitolBeatOK.

“It is very important that all participating companies understand these changes and implement them in the correct way. With these forums, we will educate all associated companies on the new specification revisions, thus continuing to push Oklahoma’s aerospace industry to the forefront nationwide.”

The two forums will be lead by Senior Aerospace Quality Management System Technical Specialist Robert L. Keys with Det Norske Veritas, a global provider of knowledge on managing risk.

The first OAA forum will be held at Tinker Business and Industrial Park located at 2601 Liberty Parkway in Conference Room A in Midwest City from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 21.

The second OAA forum will be held in Tulsa on Tuesday, Feb. 22, in the Spirit Bank Community Room at 1800 Baltimore Ave. from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Registration for either forum or other information is available from Valerie Renz, telephone 918-295-7434 or e-mail:  VRenz@SpiritBank.com.

Smith concluded, “As one of only seven hubs worldwide, aerospace in Oklahoma is the backbone for the largest military and commercial aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul operations in the U.S. It is essential that Oklahoma companies are current on new mandated quality procedures to continue being globally competitive.”

Oklahoma Aerospace Alliance is a non-profit group formed in 2006 to support the growth of the aerospace industry in Oklahoma. Many of its 300 membership companies have operations nationally and internationally. To learn more about the OAA, visit here.

On another front touching aerospace jobs and economic development efforts, this week the State Senate Finance Committee sent to the floor Senate Bill 3, authored by Chairman Mike Mazzei. The measure would end a moratorium on tax credits/incentives aimed at aerospace engineer recruitment.

Note: Editor Patrick B. McGuigan contributed to this report.