AS9100 Certification: Gogo Soars to New Horizons

Pictured from left to right: Jim Lee, simpleQuE President , Patrick Byrnes, Gogo AS9100 project leader, and Arbela Takhsh, Gogo SVP of Quality.

The Challenge:
When Gogo, the leading global aero-communications service provider set their sights on Boeing as a customer, AS9100 certification became a necessity. Offering in-flight internet, entertainment, text messaging, voice and a variety of other communications-related services to the commercial and business aviation markets, Gogo is home to more than 800 employees located in several cities across the United States and abroad. A larger company with multiple locations and a lot of complexity required additional time, effort and resources. Gogo contracted with simpleQuE due to our resource team and availability to meet tight deadlines.

The simpleQuE solution:
The simpleQuE project began with a certified AS9100C auditor onsite within four days of initial contact. Gogo asked us to perform a gap assessment, and determine the level of effort and actions needed to obtain certification.

Our team started in January 2014 with the goal of obtaining AS9100 certification by the end of the year. Utilizing five simpleQuE employees to support the project, we were able to complete the certification audit one month early and 20 percent under budget. In less than 12 months, Gogo is now one of about 6,700 companies in the US that has achieved AS9100 certification.

What Gogo is saying:
According to Arbela Takhsh, SVP of Quality, “Obtaining AS9100 certification reflects Gogo’s continued commitment to meeting and exceeding the increasingly stringent industry quality requirements, and affirms our dedication to total quality and regulatory compliance. The addition of AS9100 certification for commercial aviation, complements our existing quality management system and industry accreditations, and strengthens our commitment to continuous improvement and customer satisfaction.”

Patrick Byrnes, Manager Supplier Quality, Aviation Quality said, “Obtaining AS9100 certification was a critical achievement necessary to support strategic business initiatives for the company.  The increasing demand for Gogo’s services both domestically and internationally requires a high level of commitment to quality in everything that we do.  Early on in our pursuit of certification, we realized that Gogo was not your typical aerospace company; rather, a unique mix of telecom, internet dot-com and aerospace professionals all working together towards a common goal.  It was imperative to solicit professional guidance to support this certification effort due to the size, span and complexity of Gogo.  Our partnership with simpleQuE was essential in achieving our goals.  Their expertise, guidance and support resulted in Gogo not only becoming an AS9100 certified organization, but also in developing efficiencies and business processes improvements throughout the company.”

“As air-travelers, we appreciate Gogo’s services first hand,” said Jim Lee, President at simpleQuE. “It is always fun to work with a client who we use their product as a consumer. We travel by air frequently and have a need for Gogo’s communication services in-flight. Achieving this certification with Gogo is satisfying both personally and professionally to our team members.”

The celebration:
We recently celebrated this achievement with Gogo. Take a look at some highlights from the event on our Facebook page.