AS13100A – What Does It Mean for Suppliers in the Aero Engine Industry?

Quality Requirements from the Customer

In the aerospace industry, not every requirement comes from the organization's certification.

Sometimes, additional requirements are introduced via contracts, purchase orders, or customer requirements—obligating the organization to adapt its processes even if it already operates a quality management system based on 9100.

AS13100A – AESQ Quality Management System Requirements for Aero Engine Design and Production Organizations is a SAE standard that defines supplementary requirements to 9100 and 9145 for organizations in the aero engine design and production field and their supply chain. The AS13100A edition was published in April 2025.

When Does AS13100A Apply to the Organization?

One of the most important points is that the standard does not apply automatically to every aviation organization.

SAE defines applicability when AS13100 is delivered to the organization as part of a purchase order or another contractual document from the customer.

In other words, the question is not only:

"To which standard is the organization certified?"

But also:

"Which customer requirements apply to our product, program, and suppliers?"

This Is Where the Flow Down Begins

When an engine manufacturer imposes a requirement on a supplier, the requirement is not intended to remain solely with the quality manager.

It is necessary to understand which parts of it pertain to engineering, production, procurement, configuration control, inspections, and sub-suppliers.

If a critical process is performed at a Tier 2 or Tier 3 supplier, it may also be necessary to pass on relevant requirements to them.

In this sense, AS13100A is not just a matter for the "Quality Department." It connects the quality system to the actual supply chain.

Not a New Quality System – An Additional Layer of Requirements

AS13100A is defined as a supplementary standard to 9100 and 9145.

Therefore, an organization starting preparation does not necessarily need to build a new system from scratch.

The first step is to perform a Gap Analysis:

• What already exists?
• What is covered under the current system?
• What additional requirements appear in AS13100A?
• And where is there a gap between the procedure and actual work?

Reference Manuals – From Requirement to Implementation

One of the central characteristics of AS13100 is the use of the RM13xxx document family – Reference Manuals.

SAE notes that the standard refers to training documents developed by the AESQ committee, which provide detail and guidance for implementation.

The Reference Manuals include guidelines, examples, forms, and best practices intended to assist the supply chain in implementing the requirements consistently.

In other words, reading the standard clauses alone is not always enough. It is also required to understand how to turn them into a work process.

The Connection to FMEA, 8D, and Supplier Quality

When an organization is required to work systematically with risks, non-conformities, suppliers, and corrective actions – tools like FMEA, Root Cause Analysis, and 8D turn from academic material into work tools.

Three complementary articles on these topics:

FMEA – Why does a good failure analysis begin long before the failure occurs?

8D – From complaint to root cause solution

Supplier Quality – Why does product quality begin long before the production line?

How to Begin Preparation?

Good preparation does not start with writing dozens of new procedures.

It begins with four questions:

• Which contractual requirements apply to us?
• Which processes in the organization are affected?
• Which requirements need to be passed on to suppliers?
• Where are there gaps between the requirement and actual implementation?

From there, one can build a staged action plan and prioritize gaps according to risk.

In Summary

AS13100A is a dedicated layer of requirements for the aero engine world, and it becomes relevant when the customer applies it to the organization via a contractual requirement.

The challenge is not just to understand the standard clauses — but to connect them to quality, engineering, production, and supplier processes and ensure that the requirements are implemented throughout the supply chain.

Need to Learn or Prepare for AS13100A?

ALD Academy develops professional training for understanding AS13100 requirements and their implementation in design, production, and supply chain organizations in the aerospace industry.

For details on AS13100 training