ISO 9001 Justification_Redacted.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE

HEADQUARTERS OKLAHOMA CITY AIR LOGISTICS CENTER (AFMC)

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE OKLAHOMA

22 April 2020

MEMORANDUM

FROM: 76 PMXG/MXDE

SUBJECT: Quality Management System Justification for the Purchase of Shot Peen and Blast Machines

1. This memo is to provide justification for the requirement of contractors that provide shot peening and blast machines to the Government be certified by ISO 9001:2015 (ISO 9001), AS 9100, or other equivalent Quality Management System Standards (QMSS).

2. QMSS Applicability. ISO 9001 and equivalent QMSS apply to any organization, regardless of size or industry. ISO 9001, for example, is the international standard for requirements dictating a QMSS, and serves as an umbrella for countless iterations of its standard across many industries. Organizations use these standards to demonstrate the ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements. An organization certified in QMSS more effectively organizes their processes, improves the efficiency of their processes, and continually improves in all areas of their organization.

3. QMSS Principles. An organization that conforms to a QMSS will ensure it has the ability to meet the requirements for products and services offered to the customer. The company will review the requirements specified by the customer, including requirements for delivery and post-delivery activities, requirements not stated by the customer but necessary for the specified or intended use, and statutory and regulatory requirements. QMSS will typically require conformance to the following principles, as exemplified by ISO 9001:

i. Customer Focus

ii. Leadership

iii. Engagement of People

iv. Process Approach

v. Improvement

vi. Evidence-based decision making

vii. Relationships

4. Leadership and Customer Focus. Certified companies demonstrate two key principles of a QMSS: leadership and commitment with respect to customer focus. They accomplish this by understanding the customer’s requirements and ensure they are consistently met. They understand the risks and opportunities that affect conformity of products and services, the customer’s current and future needs, and strive to exceed the customer’s expectations.

5. Certified companies, for example, focus on post-delivery activities. These companies ensure all product and service requirements are met even after delivery is made. This includes responding to customer feedback, remedying undesired consequences, and supporting the intended lifetime of the product through warranty and maintenance services. Further, these companies regularly engage with their customers to collect data on overall customer satisfaction with their products and services. Certified companies evaluate conformity of their products and services across all of their customers, ensure planning has been implemented effectively, and take necessary actions to address risks and maximize opportunities.

6. Process Approach and Evidence-Based Decision Making. The Process Approach and Evidence-Based Decision Making are two other important principles to the Propulsion Maintenance Group (PMXG). Certified companies use risk-based thinking to determine factors that could cause its processes to deviate from planned results. To meet the customer’s requirements, preventive controls are implemented to minimize negative outcomes and maximize opportunities throughout all planning, review, and improvement phases. Preventive controls are implemented by certified companies to meet the requirements of PMXG. One of the most important factors in the acceptance of a product or service is getting it on time and on budget. Certified companies will order parts with the longest lead time first to prevent delays or delivery schedule when providing a product. When providing a service, the certified company will plan and schedule ahead to ensure all processes remain on track and the schedule is met.

7. Further, certified companies ensure that proper safety equipment is installed on machines they offer. For example, pneumatic pistons on gantry arms ensure it will not move when the parts door is open, or in the event the machine loses supply of compressed air. Another example of a safety feature is the ability to open the door from the inside of the machine in the event the cabinet door closes while someone is inside the cabinet. These types of safety features are not standard, but are often found in machines built by certified companies. These features came from opportunities to improve the safety of the machine to prevent and reduce undesired effects.

8. Multiple products used in shot peening are from ISO 9001 companies, including Electric Incorporated’s “Magna Flow Valves” that control media flow, Proportion Air Regulators that control and measure air pressure, and Sweco Screen Media Classifiers for recycling media.

While the products work extremely well, each of these companies provide excellent customer service: technical data is readily available, maintenance is minimal, and required calibration is simple. Because of this customer service, PMXG is able to produce a more consistent product to its customers, extend the life of its machines, and improve efficiencies within its own processes.

9. Requirement for Higher-Level Contract Quality Standards: Criticality and Complexity. Shot peening in aerospace engine applications is typically performed on critical rotating parts in the engine. These parts are under high stresses and susceptible to fatigue cracking and stress corrosion. It is critical that this process be performed according to specific technical data requirements as established by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), and the machine must demonstrate consistency and reliability to properly repair these parts, prevent fatigue-crack initiation, and provide a residual compressive stress on the surface of the part. If the machine is not consistent or reliable, parts will either be condemned at a higher rate or will be incorrectly peened and fail much sooner than expected. If a part fails prematurely, it can lead to serious injury of personnel during engine testing or operation. Further, premature failure could mean the loss of an aircraft. Either scenario would greatly jeopardize the vital mission of PMXG and the Air Force.

10. Shot peen machines are complex and have quality characteristics which may not be readily apparent, and conformance must be established through precise measurements, tests, and controls applied during purchasing and functional operation. Testing the precision and repeatability of the CNC system will use ASME B5.54 “Methods for Performance Evaluation of CNC Machining Centers” and NAS 995 “Specification for Computerized Numerical Control.”

The complex nature of shot peen machines require rigorous control of air pressure and media flow to ensure parts are being processed correctly. AMS 2432 “Shot Peening, Computer Monitored” sets the standards on the media flow and air pressure tolerances.

11. Applicability to the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex (OC-ALC) and PMXG.

The Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex (OC-ALC) and PMXG are ISO 9001:2015 and AS9110C certified. AS9110 is a quality management system focused on the control of repair schemes and maintenance plans, configuration management, and the skills and qualifications necessary to perform maintenance, repair and overhaul tasks within the aerospace community.

Over the past 20 years, the OC-ALC has been certified in ISO 9001 and AS9110, and was the first ALC to get ISO 9001:2000 certified. Because PMXG is ISO 9001 certified, our customers have the expectation that the products and services they receive meet the standards set forth in ISO 9001 and other equivalent standards. As a result, it is imperative that highly critical and complex machinery is supplied by certified companies.

12. PMXG has the responsibility to repair and overhaul aircraft engines correctly to ensure our customers have safe and reliable products. Our customers include the Air Force, the Navy, Pratt and Whitney, General Electric, and CFM. The use of Work Control Documents (WCDs) verifies each engine and part are repair properly according the OEM technical data while providing documentation of quality control to the customer and OEM.

13. PMXG implements QMSS through measurement traceability by having all critical pieces of equipment checked and calibrated on regular intervals through PMEL. Calibration checks are done in accordance to industry standards or by OEM technical data, and documented for the life of the equipment. Through all phases of the overhaul, including disassembly, repair and assembly, QMSS are used to document and ensure quality products and services. Any delays or issues found are reported immediately to our management and customers, and the problem is corrected and documented according to PMXG’s QMSS.

14. PMXG has the responsibility to maintain a supply of engines on the shelf for the warfighter. Any delays from contractors, or substandard products or services increase the time it takes to move the engine through the overhaul process. Substandard products and services also increase the time to overhaul an engine, as new products have to be made to replace the defective parts. An increase in engine overhaul time decrease our War Readiness for our warfighter.

Because of these reasons, our customers expect that the products and services they receive meet the highest quality standards.

15. It is imperative that highly critical and complex machinery is supplied by certified companies. As a result, it is in the Government’s best interest to ensure the manufacturer of this type of equipment maintains a well-established QMS. Companies and contractors certified in QMSS will ensure all complex and critical process on a machine are working properly to produce quality parts to deliver safe, reliable engines and components on time and on cost for the war fighter.

Graham Chapman, GS-12, DAF Contracting Officer

AFSC/PZIMC