Producer Certification - A Cost-Effective Approach to Parts Inspection

This paper recounts the experience and ensuing results of the implementation of producer certification in its main factory area by the Hamilton Standard Div. of United Aircraft Corp.

Producer certification, applicable to both purchased and shop material, is the assumption of the inspection function by the producing organization. The concept is not new-it has long been practiced in some companies-but its acceptance by the aerospace industry has been slow.

The paper describes three quality assurance tasks successively transferred to the producing organization and the succeeding results, and concludes with a comparison of Hamilton Standard performance and cost experience under its conventional quality assurance system and the producer certification system.