Flextronics (NASDAQ: FLEX) announced today that three of its U.S. facilities located in Charlotte, North Carolina; Austin, Texas; and Milpitas, California, have separately received certification under the AS9100C aerospace and defense quality standard.

AS9100C is a complete Quality Management System approach that defines the foundational requirements for the aerospace and defense industry. It is published by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and widely recognized as the aerospace industry standard.

"Receiving the AS9100C certifications at three of our U.S. facilities is another key milestone in our roadmap to offer a full complement of manufacturing and service options for our aerospace & defense customers," said Paul Humphries, group president of Flextronics High Reliability Solutions. "In addition to providing manufacturing solutions that adhere to the stringent quality requirements in the Aerospace & Defense industry, Flextronics takes great pride in helping our customers with fundamentally transforming the cost structure of their operations, while improving their bottom line."

"Today, aerospace and defense customers are faced with a significantly more competitive environment and declining defense budgets," said Tim Malac, vice president of Flextronics Aerospace & Defense Services. "They are looking to partner with companies like Flextronics for manufacturing and aftermarket services to lower their operating costs as a differentiated business model to maximize their own resources. By earning AS9100C and other certifications, Flextronics can offer our customers the highest possible quality standards and cost structure transformation through an improved supply chain, innovation and long term strategic partnerships."

The certifications were awarded by TUV SUD America, Inc., a globally recognized testing, inspection and certification organization, after extensive third-party audits at all three facilities. The certification covers a variety of operations including design, new product introduction, manufacturing and services.

"Flextronics plans to seek AS9100C certification at other facilities in Mexico and China in the coming months," Humphries added.