Aitech Company Brief
Introduction
Aitech was founded in 1983 with one vision: to bring the concept and the advantages of open computer architectures to the realm of rugged and military systems. That vision has led to the pioneering leadership in developing COTS products and modular computer design, offering conduction cooled standard VME boards and enclosures as early as 1984. The same innovative approach is present in many Aitech designs that adopted advanced technologies and modified them for use in rugged, military, and space products. The use of BGA components in space applications is just one example of this spirit of innovation – Aitech perfected and tested a BGA reflow process suitable for space applications, and had it qualified and approved for use in the International Space Station. In fact, Aitech is the largest supplier of rugged VME boards for the International Space Station.
Our engineering team has constantly pushed the technology envelope over the years. Aitech has earned a reputation of responsiveness and willingness to go the extra mile to ensure customer satisfaction. It is this commitment to customers that won Aitech the Exceptional Company Performance Award for 1999 from The Boeing Company's Reusable Space Systems Division. Boeing specifically sited Aitech's excellent performance, support, and team spirit as selection factors for the award. This same team spirit approach applies to all Aitech programs, large and small alike.
With a cohesive and seasoned management team at the helm, Aitech has been continuously expanding its business. Our success has been fueled by a number of important contract awards. Major recent space programs include multiple boards for the International Space Station EXPRESS Rack program, a single board computer (SBC) for each of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Mass Memory Units and two different chassis with multiple redundant power supplies for NASA's X-38.
High Quality
At Aitech customer satisfaction is the foundation of our quality system. Customers are considered both internal and external. The requirement for each employee is to fully meet the expectations of the customer. The Quality Assurance (QA) organization is responsible for ensuring compliance to the documented Quality System and the customer’s requirements. Aitech is ISO 9001 certified with a quality program based on a hierarchy of documentation that defines and describes all company procedures. The quality system ensures a high degree of control over the design and manufacturing cycles with procedures and instructions governing activities from contract review through the design process, purchasing, receiving, production, inspection, and delivery. The quality system comprises more than 25 elements, all of which are audited on a regular basis. Boeing Procurement Quality has approved our quality system to D6-82479, “Quality Systems for Boeing Suppliers”, Appendix A.
In order to ensure control and compliance with specific project requirements, Aitech prepares Quality Assurance Program Plans (QAPP) for major programs. The QAPP describes in detail the implementation of the overall quality program on a project, and assign responsibility for the various elements.
Customer Satisfaction
Aitech’s commitment to customer satisfaction is our most successful product. While designing and building quality products is necessary in order to win customers, a proven willingness to provide ongoing support, make midstream design changes to accommodate rapidly evolving requirements, and take responsibility for and quickly correct errors, is vital to keeping them. On more than one occasion, Aitech customers have requested proposals for a replacement to a competitor’s product. Aitech’s customers have found that our teamwork approach is more conducive to overall program success.
Similarly, NASA JSC engineers have expressed their satisfaction with Aitech’s designs and delivered products in support of the X-38 program. Despite an extremely aggressive schedule and difficult technical requirements, Aitech has managed to establish within a very short time, a reputation of dedication to excellence and customer satisfaction at JSC.
The Boeing Company’s Reusable Space Systems (RSS) presented Aitech with its Exceptional Company Performance Award for 1999 for Aitech’s role in the Modular Memory Unit (MMU) shuttle upgrade program. In a congratulatory letter to Aitech, Boeing’s RSS Vice President & General Manager Mike Mott stated that "[Aitech's] selection as a recipient of this award was made after a careful evaluation of the product quality, cost, technical performance, and schedule compliance provided to RSS. The team spirit demonstrated by [Aitech] in working together to address and resolve mutual problem areas was also a determining factor for this award." As further evidence of Boeing’s satisfaction, Aitech was recently selected for a space shuttle VME product currently being supplied by a competitor.
Aitech Partner Materials 1 Last Updated on 11/1/2002