Industrial certifications: ISO 9100, EN 1090 and UNE 73401

Certifications as a quality guarantee

In industrial manufacturing, certifications are not mere bureaucratic paperwork. They are the guarantee that a company has the processes, controls, and qualified personnel to manufacture parts that meet critical safety requirements. In sectors like aerospace, nuclear, and metal construction, working without proper certifications is not just risky: it is directly illegal.

Cortalia holds a certification system that qualifies us to manufacture components for the most demanding sectors. Below we explain what each one means.

EN ISO 9100: Aerospace and Space

The EN ISO 9100 standard is the quality management standard for the aerospace, space, and defense industry. It builds on ISO 9001 but adds sector-specific requirements: configuration management, special nonconforming product control, obsolescence management, downward flow of requirements to suppliers, and complete part-by-part traceability.

To obtain this certification, a company must demonstrate that every manufactured part can be traced back to the original raw material, that special processes (welding, heat treatments, non-destructive testing) are qualified, and that the personnel performing them are certified.

In practice, ISO 9100 means that every part leaving Cortalia destined for the aerospace sector carries complete documentation: material certificates, dimensional reports, process records, and non-destructive testing results.

UNE EN 1090: Metal Structures

The UNE EN 1090 standard is mandatory in Europe for the fabrication and assembly of steel and aluminum structures. It establishes execution classes (EXC1 to EXC4) based on structural criticality, with EXC4 being the most demanding (bridges, fatigue-loaded structures, high-rise buildings).

The certification covers: welding procedure qualification (per EN ISO 15614), welder certification (per EN ISO 9606), base and filler material control, non-destructive testing, dimensional tolerances, and corrosion protection.

For Cortalia, EN 1090 certification is particularly relevant because it enables us to fabricate and CE-mark metal structures for the European market. Our laser cutting, certified welding, and boilermaking processes are integrated under this standard.

UNE 73401: Nuclear Installations

UNE 73401 is the Spanish standard governing the quality assurance system for suppliers of equipment and components for nuclear power plants. It is one of the most demanding certifications in the industrial landscape.

Requirements include: exhaustive qualification of all manufacturing processes, absolute traceability of materials and processes, personnel specifically qualified and certified for nuclear work, periodic audits by the CSN (Nuclear Safety Council), and extremely detailed documentation.

Holding UNE 73401 enables us to manufacture components for operating and decommissioning nuclear plants, as well as for nuclear waste storage facilities. It is a seal of maximum quality and safety.

Other Cortalia certifications

In addition to the three main certifications, Cortalia holds: EN ISO 9001 (general quality management system), EN ISO 3834 (quality requirements for fusion welding), welder certifications per ASME and UNE for multiple processes (GTAW, SMAW, GMAW).

This set of certifications makes us one of the few manufacturers in Spain capable of simultaneously serving the aerospace, nuclear, railway, energy, and metal construction sectors, with all the quality guarantees each sector demands.

Why choose a certified manufacturer?

Choosing a manufacturer with proper certifications is not a matter of prestige, it is a technical and legal necessity. A component manufactured without required certifications may be rejected at final inspection, cause project delays, or in the worst case, fail in service with serious consequences.

At Cortalia, certifications are not paper on the wall: they are how we work every day. Every part, every weld bead, every cutting operation is executed under controlled and documented procedures. It is the only way to guarantee that the final product meets the expectations of our clients in the most demanding market sectors.