In the electronics supply chain, quality is everything. Nearly identical parts may be available from a broad spectrum of manufacturers and suppliers — and at a broad range of quality levels — but a purchasing strategy based on price only can lead to disaster. You don’t want to risk any damage to your brand with theoretically appropriate parts that prove substandard in practice.
Sensible Micro understands the importance of a quality program that promotes due diligence for all departments. That’s why we maintain a robust list of QA certifications that demonstrate our commitment to the highest quality inspection procedures. Here are seven of the most important QA certifications that we maintain, and which we highly recommend you keep on the priority list when vetting partners in your electronics supply chain.
Top 7 QA Certifications to Look For
- ISO 9001:2015: The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) offers this company-level certification for companies that meet stringent requirements for a quality management system (QMS). Any company that earns this certification can be trusted to provide products and services that consistently meet customer and regulatory requirements.
- AS9120B: Another company-level certification, AS9120 is based on a standard published by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) that is suitable for products related to Aviation, Space, and Defense. Being certified demonstrates a superior ability to meet customer and regulatory requirements in these specialized areas.
- IDEA-QMS-9090: The Independent Distribution of Electronics Association (IDEA) developed this company-level certification to establish specific standards for the IDE industry, many areas of which are not covered by other major QMS standards.
- IDEA-ICE-3000: Look for IDEA-ICE-3000 certified quality inspectors, who have demonstrated the utmost level of skill in annual audit testing and can provide complete confidence as an inspector. At Sensible Micro, all of our inspectors hold this certification.
- IDEA-STD-1010-B: The 72-point visual inspection process laid out in this inspection standard is proven to be a highly effective visual inspection protocol. It’s cited in AS5553 as an exemplary method and is preferred by leading OEMs and distributors. Sensible Micro’s IDEA-STD-1010B process is administered only by IDEA-ICE-3000 certified inspectors.
- ANSI/ESD S20.20: The “Protection of Electrical and Electronic Parts, Assemblies, and Equipment” standard from the Electrostatic Discharge Association (ESDA) is the foundation for this facility-level certification. By maintaining it, a facility demonstrates a sufficient ESD control program to protect electrical or electronic parts from potentially damaging discharges of 100+ volts.
- CCAP - 101: The Counterfeit Components Avoidance Program is a newer company-level certification that lays out mandatory practices for Independent Distributors to detect and avoid the delivery of counterfeit components. It was one of the first certifications developed for this purpose, and Sensible Micro is proud to be among the earliest distributors in the industry to become trained and certified.
These seven QA certifications are all strong indicators that your supply chain partner takes quality assurance seriously. In addition to certifications, your partner can also maintain memberships in top organizations tied to quality control and quality assurance. Sensible Micro is an ongoing member of both ERAI and GIDEP, for instance.
Our membership in ERAI — a global organization that monitors, investigates, and reports on electronics supply chain issues — provides us access to the most comprehensive data available on counterfeit and nonconforming parts as well as problematic suppliers. The Government-Industry Data Exchange Program (GIDEP) allows us to monitor and exchange technical information regarding suspect counterfeit parts and the suppliers involved, ultimately better serving our customers.
We encourage you to look closely at the QA certifications and memberships maintained by supplies and distributors in your electronics supply chain, which are the best indicators of their commitment to quality.
