Quality Management System Meets International Standard for Aerospace Manufacturing
Williamsport, PA – February 15, 2007 – Lycoming Engines, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced today its achievement of registration to AS9100, the aerospace standard of the International ISO9000.
"In the aviation manufacturing industry, quality and reliability are vital. This global market demands a robust Quality Management System with continuous improvement as one of its key business drivers," stated Fred Hill, manager of Quality Systems, Lycoming Engines. "It is an expectation that organizations adopt the AS9100 standard as their own, achieve more consistent performance, with less waste and cost."
Independent AS9100 registration demonstrates Lycoming's commitment to prevention and attention to meeting the needs of their customers.
"Achieving AS9100 registration is a significant milestone in Lycoming's relentless journey to becoming a premier company. This independent recognition takes Lycoming above and beyond the recurring, regulatory Aircraft Certification Systems Evaluation Program audit and has contributed to Lycoming's Lean transformation," stated Ian Walsh, senior vice president and general manager, Lycoming Engines. "We intend to keep raising the competitive bar at Lycoming until we are indisputably the premier aviation engine company, known for our products, innovation and customer service."
What is AS9100?
In 1999 the major aerospace prime contractors from the Americas, Asia, and Europe, under the umbrella of the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG) and sponsorship of SAE, SJAC, and AECMA, fostered initiatives for quality improvement and cost reductions in the global aerospace industry. The output of this was the publication of the AS9100 standard that has been endorsed by U.S. aerospace regulators including the FAA, U.S. Department of Defense, and NASA. The standard contains all the requirements of ISO 9001:2000 along with the addition of 80 additional requirements the IAQG deemed critical to Aerospace Quality in order to achieve a global, harmonized aerospace standard for quality assurance in design, development, production, installation, and service.
"Achieving AS9100 registration is a significant accomplishment. It represents not only a stamp of approval that says our Quality Management System meets the international standard for aerospace manufacturing, but it also underlines our shared commitment to excellence," stated Bryan Blunt, director of Quality, Lycoming Engines. "I am very proud that our team has achieved this recognition."
Lycoming Engines specializes in Engineering, Manufacture, Service and Support of piston aircraft engines. Headquartered in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Lycoming piston engines power more than half of the world's general aviation fleet – both rotary-wing and fixed-wing. Lycoming Engines is a division of Avco Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Textron Inc. More information is available at www.lycoming.textron.com.
Textron Inc. is an $11 billion multi-industry company operating in 32 countries with approximately 40,000 employees. The company leverages its global network of aircraft, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Fluid & Power, Textron Systems and Textron Financial Corporation. More information is available at www.textron.com.