Thursday - November 20, 2008
Professional Development Meeting

* New PD Meeting Location!

We are now meeting at the Holiday Inn Select, 1655 N. Central Expressway in Richardson. Click here for a map and visit www.asqdallas.org for additional details and directions.

To register for the meeting, click on the registration link.
Early-Bird Registration ends November 16.

Dinner Speaker: Rebecca Keller

Rebecca is supply chain consultant for Renaissance Services, located in Springfield, Ohio, whose expertise lies as an AS9102 first article inspection (FAI) trainer for leading aerospace OEMs and their suppliers. She has extensive experience with advanced software tools designed for emerging approaches to characteristic accountability and verification (CAV). Rebecca has trained hundreds of aerospace industry suppliers, bringing pragmatic advice and innovative FAI solutions to every level of the supply chain. She conducts training both on site and at selected venues throughout the United States. With over 28 years as a teacher/trainer, Rebecca provides a unique perspective for both the FAI and CAV processes. She holds a Master’s Degree in English and Linguistics from Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio.

DINNER TOPIC:  Six Secrets for Unlocking Value from AS9100 Standards

Analysis has shown that, as a group, aerospace suppliers spend millions of hours responding to their customers’ AS9102 FAI requirements. Meeting all of the requirements of AS9102 often strains already overwhelmed companies with increased demands on labor and time. The effort required to organize all of the technical documents and prepare detailed lists of characteristic requirements can be a daunting task at every level of the supply chain. However, the manufacturers, suppliers, and service companies that succeed in the aerospace global market are those that have taken innovative approaches to unlock the value in addressing the AS9100 family of standards, including AS9102. This presentation shares the secrets and the tools behind these success stories.

TUTORIAL TOPIC : Introducing DISCUS—the AS9102 Productivity and Ballooning Tool

This 30-minute tutorial provides an introduction to DISCUS, a software tool that improves the quality of FAI reports while dramatically enhancing the efficiency of the overall FAI process. Characteristic identification and documentation—commonly referred to as “ballooning”—is a time consuming and error-prone activity. DISCUS allows users to quickly and intuitively balloon virtually any drawing. DISCUS provides the capability to electronically identify and tag essential characteristic-level data, including dimensions, geometries, notes, material specifications, and other requirements with unprecedented accuracy and speed. DISCUS is currently used by numerous aerospace OEMs—including such large prime contractors as Lockheed Martin, Hawker Beechcraft, and BAE—as well as hundreds of members of their supply chains. Users have routinely experienced productivity gains of over 50 % per FAI with DISCUS.