How ERP Supports AS9100 Compliance (and Where Manufacturers Go Wrong)
For manufacturers in the aerospace and defense supply chain, AS9100 compliance isn’t optional — it’s essential. But meeting the standard isn’t just about passing audits or maintaining documentation. It’s about controlling processes, ensuring traceability, and proving consistency across every production step.
Your ERP system is the backbone of that effort. When it’s set up and used correctly, ERP becomes one of the strongest tools for maintaining AS9100 compliance. When it’s not, it can quietly create gaps that auditors — and customers — will notice.
Here’s how ERP supports compliance, and where many companies go wrong.
1. Document Control and Revision History
AS9100 requires strict control over procedures, work instructions, and revisions. A properly configured ERP system ties document versions directly to part numbers, routings, or jobs.
When controlled documents are stored outside of ERP — in spreadsheets, network drives, or email — revision tracking becomes unreliable. That’s where companies fail audits.
Your ERP should hold the current revision, track who changed it, and prevent outdated versions from being used on the floor.
2. Lot and Serial Traceability
Full traceability is at the heart of AS9100. ERP provides that link — connecting purchased materials, work orders, and finished goods into a complete history.
But too often, traceability data lives in multiple places: ERP system, handwritten travelers, or spreadsheets. When that happens, reconciling data for an audit takes days.
Seamless ERP and quality management system processes ensure every serial or lot number is recorded consistently from receipt through shipment, so your traceability report is ready anytime, not just before an audit.
3. Corrective Actions and Nonconformance Tracking
AS9100 emphasizes root cause analysis and corrective actions. ERP systems can manage this process through quality or NCR modules — but many companies don’t fully use those tools.
When corrective actions are handled outside ERP, there’s no easy link between quality events and the affected parts, jobs, or customers. Tracking and trending data becomes manual work.
Integrating quality workflows into ERP not only satisfies compliance but improves long-term process control.
4. Training and Competence Records
ERP isn’t just for production data — it can also manage training records. AS9100 requires proof that personnel are trained and competent for assigned tasks.
By linking operator IDs or work center assignments to training status, ERP can help prevent unqualified personnel from performing restricted operations. It’s another example of compliance being built into the process, not checked after the fact.
5. The Common Mistake: Treating ERP as Separate from Quality
One of the biggest compliance mistakes manufacturers make is treating their ERP system and their quality system as two separate worlds.
In reality, AS9100 expects integration. Audit trails, documentation, traceability, and records all flow from the same source — your ERP data.
When quality and ERP work together, compliance becomes a byproduct of good processes. When they don’t, compliance becomes a scramble.
Final Thoughts
AS9100 compliance isn’t just about documentation — it’s about consistent execution. Many ERP systems already contain the tools needed to maintain that consistency, but only if they’re configured and maintained correctly.
By aligning ERP processes with AS9100 requirements — for traceability, document control, and corrective actions — manufacturers can simplify audits, strengthen operations, and build lasting customer confidence.
If your ERP system isn’t fully supporting your AS9100 program, it may not need a full overhaul — just the right adjustments and ongoing support. That’s where fractional ERP services can help bridge the gap.
For more information or to discuss how ERP can better support your compliance strategy, contact us at info@sidelineerpsolutions.com
