Jacqueline Hochheiser, Corporate Communications
In the spirit of keeping quality at the core of our efforts, Mini-Circuits’ team in India has successfully earned their AS9100 certification, joining Mini-Circuits’ Brooklyn headquarters in compliance with this demanding quality standard. Preparing for the strict parameters of the audit was no small feat, but the Urjita team rallied together to get the job done, adding another measure of assurance to our customers that Mini-Circuits products are among the most reliable in the industry.
For those who may be unfamiliar, the AS9100 certification is a standardized quality management system for the aerospace and defense industry. It is an extension of the ISO9001 certification with additional requirements for quality and safety standards, making the process of earning a AS9100 certificate especially challenging.
Mini-Circuits’ India team members believe that a robust quality management system is an essential factor in customers’ trust in our products and our operations. Urjita members began preparing to meet the additional requirements of the AS9100 audit at the start of the COVID-19 lockdown in March, 2019, which only served to make the process more of a challenge, and extended the certification process for over a year.
Despite the challenging circumstances surrounding preparation, the team persisted, earning the certificate on June 10, 2021. External auditors worked remotely to observe manufacturing and safety processes in depth including elements of risk management, delivery performance and more. The successful completion of the audit makes Urjita the first manufacturing facility after Mini-Circuits’ Brooklyn headquarters to become AS9100 certified.
The audit’s successful outcome wouldn’t have been possible without the tremendous effort and courage in the face of adversity shown by Urjita team members. Manual preparation and coordination were done by quality management system co-coordinators supported by the internal audit team, as well as team facilitators and the heads of several functions including QA, engineering, and production.
The Urjita team’s accomplishment is a shining example of Mini-Circuits’ policy to continuously improve. Upgrading their ISO9001 certification to the AS9100 standard, challenged them to think critically, work differently and ultimately exceed prior expectations. AS9100 emphasizes a metric and data-driven approach to quality management, and the team hopes to keep improving on metrics and targets in areas such as on-time delivery, yield and product quality while regularly evaluating the risk factors in each aspect of their business.
Congratulations to the entire Urjita team on this landmark achievement for the company and for their perseverance through difficult circumstances. Their willingness to challenge themselves and to continuously improve sets an example of Mini-Circuits’ values for all of us and furthers our mission to provide customers with industry-leading quality and reliability.
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