Feb 5 2010
Prime aerospace manufacturers and their supply chains in Asia can now benefit from access to Bodycote's newly Nadcap-accredited heat treatment facility in Wuxi, China.
The Wuxi plant has become the first subcontract facility in China to gain the prestigious Nadcap approval for its heat treatment capabilities. The approval follows comprehensive audits of quality systems incorporating maintenance, hardness testing, pyrometry and training and complements Bodycote Wuxi's existing major certifications which include ISO 9001, TS 16949 and ISO 14001.
Nadcap is the leading worldwide industry-managed program for special processes in the aerospace industry. Technical experts from prime contractors (including Boeing, Airbus, Rolls-Royce, GE, Pratt & Whitney, SAFRAN) work together to establish requirements for approval of suppliers wishing to carry out special processes. Once approved, the supplier may provide services to any of the prime contractors or their supply chains.
Bodycote's Wuxi plant, which opened in 2006, is located 125km north-west of Shanghai and serves customers from a range of sectors including aerospace, automotive, medical and general engineering. Covering a 10,000m2 area, the plant houses vacuum, continuous, integral quench and nitriding furnaces and is also equipped with its own comprehensive metallurgical laboratory and magnetic particle inspection system.
Nadcap accreditation is a significant achievement and represents conformity to the highest levels of quality specified by the safety-critical aerospace sector. The availability of a Nadcap approved plant in Asia provides aerospace manufacturers with a trusted thermal processing provider and confidence in quality service.
Tracy Glende, President of Aerospace, Defence & Energy for Bodycote, commented: "We are extremely pleased to extend Bodycote's significant, global capacity to service the Asian aerospace market with a Nadcap approved facility. Bodycote will continue making significant investments in its core aerospace business including further investments in China, Singapore, Mexico, and Eastern Europe to best service our global customers."