Boeing

Spectrolab, Inc., the company that powered the Mars rover "Spirit," and the world's largest manufacturer of space solar cells and panels, has received SAE AS9100 certification and recertification as an ISO 9001:2000 compliant company. These credentials mean that Spectrolab's quality control and manufacturing processes have been evaluated independently and can be expected to yield top-quality space systems. Spectrolab is a subsidiary of The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA).

"Spectrolab's relentless pursuit to comply with increasingly more rigorous quality control systems is exemplified by this achievement and assures their competitive edge in the industry," said Dave Ryan, President of Boeing Satellite Systems International -- Spectrolab's parent company. "By becoming an AS9100 certified company just three years after receiving their initial ISO 9001 certification, Spectrolab again demonstrates their commitment to meeting their customers' strict quality control needs."

The accomplishment of attaining AS9100 certification is further validation that organizations within Boeing Space & Intelligence Systems are committed to providing customers with the highest quality space systems and the best value. Spectrolab's achievement follows recent quality accomplishments at two other S&IS businesses: Boeing's satellite organization achieved the Software Engineering Institute's Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Level 5 and AS9100 certifications, and Mission Systems was rated CMMI Level 3 for systems and software engineering.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an international committee that has compiled sets of rules or regulations for the way companies operate and for the records they keep on their manufacturing processes. The AS9100 is comprised of ISO 9001 quality system requirements supplemented by additional requirements established by the aerospace industry. The development of the supplemental requirements was the result of an international effort by aerospace companies with a common goal of establishing a single quality management system for use within the aerospace industry. Each additional requirement (or supplementation) to ISO 9001 can be characterized as 1) above the requirement of ISO, 2) clarifies an existing ISO requirement or further defines some of the subtle relationships between the quality elements of ISO 9001. By strict compliance to these standards or rules, a company helps ensure that it consistently produces quality products, and that products are produced the same way, every time. This assures customers that they can depend on getting the same-quality product now and in the future. Spectrolab chose Det Norske Veritas Certification, Inc. as registrar.