Aerocet Rises on the I90 Aerospace Corridor
Company Profile
Founded in 1986, Aerocet is a North Idaho manufacturer of composite floats for aircraft. Based in the small town of Priest River where the Priest joins the mighty Pend Oreille River, Aerocet makes the only composite floats that are certified by the Federal Aviation Administration for use on several models of aircraft, including Quest Kodiak, de Havilland Beaver, and four Cessna Aircraft Co. models. Only 38 miles north of Interstate 90, Aerocet has become a model member of the “I-90 Aerospace Corridor”; a growing aerospace supply chain that stretches from western Montana to Seattle and Boeing on the west coast.
Situation
Aerocet is an OEM and contract manufacturer that desired to implement AS9100D requirements leading to successful registration to that standard for its contract manufacturing operations.
Solution
Gene Hamacher, an Operational Excellence Client Manager at TechHelp, a member of the MEP National Network™, assisted in identifying and facilitating the implementation of processes for Aerocet’s QMS that successfully enabled the achievement of AS9100 registration. Deliverables included developing the following elements: a quality manual, policy, and objectives, procedures and associated forms as needed to meet AS9100 requirements, internal audit training and schedules, assistance with performing root cause analysis and corrective and preventive action during the implementation process, records that demonstrate compliance, and successful registration.
Results
- Grow and retain sales of $30,000
- Retain three jobs
- Make productive investments of $30.000
- Save $3,000 in costs
- Achieve AS9100 certification
The TechHelp team and the NPD lab have a number of offerings to assist entrepreneurs and startups. The services of rapid prototyping, design, and CAD work are very advantageous and have filled important needs for us and others. What I see though, as the real value of the organization, is the real-world experience in both engineering and customer service that the students are getting. What a wealth of knowledge and opportunities they are developing to take into their future careers!
Ryan Okelberry, Co-Owner and Co-Founder of House of Design