Date:25/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/25/stories/2008112555420500.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Quality, reliability are critical for aerospace industry, say experts

Staff Reporter

‘The effective operation of a quality management system can help reduce some of the concerns in the sector’

Manufacturers have to be involved right from the design stage: Air Marshal Rama Sundara
Awards presented to scientists

— Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.

focussed: Air Marshal K.M. Rama Sundara being briefed about the models at an exhibition organised as part of ‘ReQuest 2008’ in Bangalore on Monday.

Bangalore: Scientists, designers and representatives from the industry deliberated the importance of “quality and reliability in aerospace technologies” at the third national conference — ReQuest 2008 — organised by the Society for Aerospace Quality and Reliability (SAQR) in association with the DRDO, here on Monday.

Air Marshal K.M. Rama Sundara, Air Officer Maintenance, Air Headquarters, who inaugurated the conference, said that quality in aerospace needed to be of the highest order due to the high accident potential.

“Aerospace activities intrinsically demand highest quality and reliability in view of the operating environment, user requirements, safety aspects and cost of failures. Such critical issues need to be addressed during the design stage of the equipment itself and by exception as an add-on during operation of the equipment.”

He also said that the focussed approach that was required to meet the enormous commitment towards quality and reliability was an issue that should be of paramount importance to all connected with aerospace. Quality and reliability were considered inherent to the design of an aerospace product. “The manufacturers have to be involved right from the design stage itself. The quality culture has to be built in within our systems,” he said.

P.S. Goel, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai Distinguished Professor, in his keynote address, said aerospace was the cradle of quality systems.

“We are taught how systems work, but not how they fail. Most components have failure modes that are not studied/ modelled.” Quality and reliability were critical values for the aerospace industry where mistakes and failure of products and services could be fatal. The effective operation of a quality management system could help reduce some of these concerns in the aerospace sector.

Air Marshal Rama Sundara and Dr. Goel released a souvenir and later inaugurated an exhibition.

They also gave away awards to scientists.

Prahlada, Distinguished Scientist and Chief Controller – Research and Development, DRDO, and founder-president of SAQR; P.S. Krishna, Outstanding Scientist and Director of Aeronautical Defence Establishment; and K.B.S. Nakra, chairman of the organising committee, spoke.