Rockwell Collins Achieves First CAAP Accreditation for Supply Chain Management

In April, the Performance Review Institute (PRI), an SAE International affiliate, announced that Rockwell Collins became the first company worldwide to earn Counterfeit Avoidance Accreditation Program (CAAP) accreditation for its supply chain management procedures.

CAAP is an industry-managed approach that brings together technical experts from both industry and government to ensure compliance to standards associated with the prevention, detection, and response to the threat of counterfeit parts in aviation, space, and defense.

To achieve the accreditation from CAAP, Rockwell Collins underwent a rigorous audit process based on the stringent AC7401 CAAP Audit Criteria for accreditation to SAE standard AS5553–Counterfeit Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical (EEE) Parts; Avoidance, Detection, Mitigation, and Disposition.

These criteria were created by the industry itself through the CAAP EEE Parts Task Group, the participants of which include the Boeing Co., Lockheed Martin, and the Defense Contract Management Agency, among others.

AS5553 was developed by SAE’s G-19ci Continuous Improvement Committee in response to a significant and increasing volume of EEE parts entering the aerospace supply chain, posing significant performance, reliability, and safety risks.

"By ensuring compliance to the demanding CAAP audit criteria, Rockwell Collins is sending a clear message to our customers that we have the systems in place to ensure high-quality manufacturing of our products," said Bruce King, Senior Vice President of Operations for Rockwell Collins in a news release. "Our teams across the business have worked extremely hard to earn this accreditation, which positions our company as an industry leader in counterfeit avoidance."

Companies interested in gaining an accreditation for CAAP should contact Jim Lewis, Program Manager at the Performance Review Institute, or visit p-r-i.org/other-programs/caap/ for more details.