Quality & Internal Audit

Quality is lead by the Director of Quality & Internal Audit Department, reporting directly to the president of the company ensuring that product & services’ quality are given the highest attention in the organization.

AEC Quality Management System (QMS) Manual describes the policies and company wide structure of the quality management system that is based on ISO9001:2000, AS9100 (Rev. A) Aerospace Quality Assurance Systems standards, and AS9110 Aerospace Quality Assurance requirements for maintenance organizations. AEC QMS Manual also describes the major processes, their application, sequence and interactions, the criteria and methods used to ensure that both the operations and control of these processes are effective, as well as stating process owners.

Total Quality Management:

At AEC we strive for the best. We have a dynamic vision and a mission for our future. As we grow and face challenges in today's competitive markets, the need for commitment to quality becomes an absolute necessity. This calls for Total Quality Management techniques, requiring teamwork and continuous improvement in what we do.

Since 1993, AEC has adopted a comprehensive strategy to prepare itself for future challenges. Within this strategy is the implementation and commitment to Total Quality Management (TQM) in its products and services. Like any world-class company, AEC has established an appropriate organizational structure, a quality management system, a set of comprehensive policies and procedures, and an orderly way of executing all AEC activities to produce high quality products and services to customers.

AEC's experience in the implementation of TQM has continued to be a major factor in the company's success. Commitment to quality at AEC is a way of life through the contribution and participation of its employees, which enabled the company to achieve major milestones and recognition by local and international industry leaders.

TQM at AEC is a long journey. The company is committed to develop and retain the TQM mentality to ensure that we do the job on time, and do it right the first time and every time. We are on a journey to blend our diversified culture into exceeding our customer’s expectations and producing the highest quality products and services.

Although TQM is part of and facilitated by the Quality & Internal Audit Department, TQM is a concept that involves all employees at AEC.

Internal Audit:

Internal audit activities are based on risk assessment and best practices, Internal Audit Sectionb is organized and managed by a dedicated team reporting to the director of Q&IA director to ensure segregation of duties and independence, This section is further supported by part time auditors trained to conduct various audits throughout the organization, internal audit section covers processes from Finance, Human Resources, Business Development, Operations, Quality and all other areas of the business.

Quality Engineering:

Quality Engineering section reports to the Director of Q&IA and is responsible for all activities in relation to the assigned program area that take place in order to ensure that the products and services delivered by AEC to its customers meet customer, ISO9000, AS9100, AS9110, regulatory and other product standards.

Quality Engineering is in-charge of monitoring , measuring, analyzing , reporting and continually improving product and process quality; it ensure that all saleable products, services, and equipment, material and processes that affect it meet the quality requirements established by contracts, specifications and other standards.

Part of their tasks, the Quality Engineers are to perform failure analysis, investigation and problem solving and install corrective / preventive measures when required.

Quality plans are made prior to contract and post contract awards on specific programs as applicable.

QE section is also involved in design reviews and design acceptance for AEC products

Prior to purchasing any products that are sealable or used in AEC products QE section assesses suppliers to ensure they are qualified and approved to supply products to AEC, it is part of the QE section to manage AEC’s Approved Supplier List , supplier audits / source inspections, rating, supplier corrective actions and supplier performance rating.

The Calibration System:

Calibration system at AEC applies to all M&TE and MS (that includes Equip, Equip, Customer Furnished Equipment “ CFE ”, Government Equipment “ GFE ”, Program Funded Equipment, Loaned/ Rented and Personal Equipment) used to assure that products delivered to customers conform to specified requirements; this shall be referred to M&TE throughout the Procedures.

The calibration system at AEC is in accordance with MIL-STD-45662, ISO 9001, ISO 10012-1 and ANSI/NCSL Z540-1-1994, Calibration System Requirements. All calibration performed using Standards traceable to Saudi Arabian Standards Organization (SASO), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), or to a source whose standards are correlated with NIST.

The Calibration Section personnel / Subcontractor calibrate M&TE used for verification of product quality using manufacturers’, customer, contractor, subcontractor, recognized source or internal calibration procedures / work instructions as applicable.

When calibration is performed by a subcontractor calibration service, either within AEC’s facility or at their own facility, the subcontractor calibration service comply with MIL-STD-45662 and /ANSI/NCSL Z540-1-1994. also subcontractor are certified to ISO/IEC 17025

The ESD Control system:

ESD section is responsible for monitoring the Electrostatic Discharge Control (ESD) procedure which covers Electrostatic Discharge Control (ESD) Program for activities that: manufacture, process, assemble, install, package, label, service, test, inspect or otherwise handle electrical or electronic parts, assemblies and equipment susceptible to damage by electrostatic discharges.

Quality Control:

This section reports to the Director of Q&IA and it is mainly inspection activities to ensure that AEC products are conforming to the specification and standards required by the customer and regulatory authorities.

Received material weather it is raw material or completed product that are re-salable, value added, or used for manufacturing or repair are inspected prior to release according to purchase order requirements to ensure it is of the required quality.

While in production phase in-process inspection is performed on the product to ensure it conforms to the requirements.

When product is complete but prior to release to stores , it goes through final inspection to ensure all activities of production or repair are done in accordance with planned activates and products conforms to standards, drawing and configuration.

Prior to releasing any product to the customer it goes under another stage of inspection to ensure the product went trough all required processing including packaging and labeling.

All of our inspectors are well trained and certified to industry workmanship standards, and are given the authority to stop the production line whenever there are any problems that are affecting the quality of the products.

Skills Training:

Well organized and structured training is given to all technical staff to ensure product reliability and quality; our instructors are certified to conduct training to our technical staff in accordance to the highest industry standards.

Certifications & Awards:

AEC has been certified by many world-renowned industry leaders to various quality systems; in 1992 we acquired our first quality inspection system certification (Mil-I -45208A) by General Dynamics Land System.

As we were getting ready to manufacture electronic products for the F15 fighter during 1993, we were audited and certified by many companies such as McDonnell Douglas, Hughes Aircraft, Smith Industries and Northrop Grumman to their and US military Quality management standards. In 1994 AEC was certified by Lockheed Martin in meeting their quality systems and to statistical process control for manufacturing electronic assemblies for the F-16 fighter jet. As part of the requirement to manufacture electronics for the Laser guided bomb, Texas Instruments certified AEC to Mil-I 45208 standards.

In 1994 Sikorsky Aircraft conducted a full-scale audit on AEC and certified AEC to their S2000 quality system (world class in the manufacturing sector and advanced in quality systems).

Early 1995 AEC received it's ISO 9002 certification, and British Aerospace scheme TS 157, later upgraded the quality management system to ISO 9001 and got certification from Lloyd's Registrar in 1999.

Lucent Technologies certified AEC's Quality Management systems as part of the qualification process prior to commencing manufacturing of hundred of thousands of circuit card assemblies and building telephone cabinets as part of TEP-6/7. Ericsson conducted a thorough quality audit prior to awarding AEC a multi-million dollar contract to manufacture, integrate and test cabinets for the GSM-E4 program.

In 2005 THALES audited AEC and certified AEC as a “TARGET SUPPLIER” As part of the effort and activities prior to commencing work on the Tornado Sustainment Program ( TSP ), European Aeronautics and Defense Systems EADS conduct an audit and certified AEC to their Quality Assurance Requirement QSF-B , equivalent to AS9100.

DIEHL Aerospace also conducted an audit for the same program to DIEHL requirements ( industrial Process Control Assessment ) IPCA, where AEC scored high was granted a status approved as supplier.

All major manufacturing programs customers' have conducted in-depth audits prior to awarding contracts to AEC. AEC has obtained the highest quality rating from leading international companies, examples

Lockheed Martin: “Star” Supplier -

Boeing: “Gold” Supplier -

Lucent Technologies: Grade “A” Supplier

In 2002 AEC have updated its quality management system and received certification from Lloyd's register quality assurance to the latest international quality management system ISO 9001:2000.

In 2003, AEC received the AS9100:A2001, Aerospace quality requirements for manufacturing, installation, and servicing.

In 2006, AEC achieved Certification to AS9110, Aerospace quality requirements for maintenance organizations.

Inspection Delegation:

Inspection delegation is more than just certification and awards; it is putting the customer's trust into us as being one of their source inspectors. This status is only given to suppliers who surpass consistently the quality requirements of any customer.

General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Lucent Technologies, and Ericsson have authorized AEC to inspect their products on their behalf, so that AEC customer’s could take the product from AEC to their warehouses’