Net-Inspect

Net-Inspect commonly refers to a cloud-based quality and supplier collaboration platform widely used in the aerospace and defense industry to exchange inspection and production data between OEMs and their suppliers.

What Net-Inspect is in an aerospace context

In regulated aerospace manufacturing, Net-Inspect is typically used as a secure, web-based portal where suppliers upload and manage product quality records requested by customers. These records often include:

• AS9102 first article inspection (FAI) reports and supporting data
• In-process and final inspection results
• Certificates of conformance and related documents
• Nonconformance information when required by customer process

Prime manufacturers and Tier 1s may configure Net-Inspect to standardize how suppliers submit data, route it for review, and maintain an accessible history of inspection evidence.

How it shows up in operations

On the shop floor and in quality departments, Net-Inspect typically appears as a required step in fulfilling customer contract requirements. Common operational uses include:

• Entering dimensional and characteristic results for FAI and production lots into customer-defined forms
• Uploading ballooned drawings, material certs, and test reports to accompany AS9102 forms
• Responding to customer feedback or rejection of submitted inspection packages
• Maintaining a record of submitted FAIs linked to part numbers, revisions, and purchase orders

Organizations often need to align internal systems (such as MES, ERP, or internal FAI tools) with Net-Inspect so that data can be transferred consistently and with minimal re-entry.

Scope and boundaries

Net-Inspect, in this sense, is:

• A specific commercial software platform and portal used primarily for aerospace quality and supplier data exchange
• Focused on documentation and evidence of quality and compliance rather than full production scheduling or shop-floor control

It is not, by itself:

• A complete enterprise resource planning (ERP) system
• A full manufacturing execution system (MES) for routing, dispatching, and real-time work-in-process control
• A general-purpose document management system for all internal quality records

Common confusion

Net-Inspect is sometimes informally used as a shorthand for the entire FAI process, especially in organizations where a specific customer mandates Net-Inspect submissions. It is more accurate to treat Net-Inspect as one possible system or portal used to submit AS9102/FAI data, not as the FAI process itself. The process requirements still come from standards (such as AS9102) and customer contracts, regardless of which portal or tool is used.

Link to AS9102 and FAI workflows

In many aerospace programs, Net-Inspect is the primary mechanism for submitting AS9102 first article inspection packages to customers. Suppliers may:

• Create or import Form 1, Form 2, and Form 3 data into Net-Inspect
• Attach supporting evidence like ballooned drawings and certificates
• Track approval or rejection of FAIs within the portal

Organizations often design their internal FAI workflows so that data originates in internal systems (spreadsheets, FAI software, or MES) and is then transferred or re-keyed into Net-Inspect to satisfy customer-specific submission requirements.