Ophir Corporation beams up to a new level:   AS9100

April 11, 2006

Ophir Corporation has boldly gone where few small product development firms have gone before.  Ophir has achieved its goal to be AS9100 certified!

What makes quality certification, a long and labor-intensive process, a goal for aerospace businesses? AS9100 certification is proof to customers that a firm provides high-quality, consistent and predictable services and products.  As one of the few small product development firms to obtain the AS9100 certification, Ophir Corporation has shown that they achieve consistent, high-quality performance in all business processes.

"As Ophir increases our work with aerospace companies, AS9100 certification will demonstrate to our customers that we are serious about consistent high performance," says Martin O'Brien, Ophir vice president. "As we continue to develop the sophisticated products used in the aerospace industry, the processes solidified by this certification will guide Ophir in our objective of continuous improvement."

Ophir's certification effort was conducted by BVQi, a widely recognized international certification firm.  AS9100 is the aerospace industry quality management system standard, incorporating all of the elements of ISO 9001, with more than 100 additional unique aerospace requirements.

Turbulence is a leading cause of in-flight injuries, a major contributor to passengers' fear of flying, and is estimated to cost a single carrier over $100 million annually. In addition to improved passenger safety, a turbulence detection system could positively impact the commercial carriers by aiding turbulence avoidance and mitigation, thereby reducing fuel consumption.

Building on Ophir's expertise in atmospheric sensing technology, physicists will design an innovative, remote sensor using laser radar to "sample" the air beyond the aircraft's boundary layer (i.e. into the air undisturbed by the aircraft). This sensor is intended to provide airborne wind speed monitoring and turbulence detection in a small, highly efficient and rugged package.  The incoherent laser radar sensor will provide an additional air-sensing tool for the atmospheric research community and for the commercial aviation industry with three-dimensional wind profiles even in clear air conditions (without atmospheric aerosols).  The laser radar also has the ability of measuring the air temperature and pressure at regions near the aircraft.