The Material Review Board (MRB) is the formal, cross-functional disposition process for any part or lot that fails inspection against engineering requirements. Every nonconformance gets one of four dispositions — use-as-is, rework, scrap, or return-to-supplier — decided jointly by quality and engineering, never by the inspector or operator who found it.
Why a board, not one person: a rework or use-as-is disposition is an engineering judgment call about whether a part still meets its design intent for flight — it requires both the authority to approve a deviation and the traceability to prove it was reviewed, not delegated to whoever is fastest to sign off.
MRB Composition (this program)
| Role | Program Assignee |
|---|---|
| MRB Chair (Quality) | J. Ferraro (Phase 2) / R. Kessler (ad hoc, Phase 1 FAI-only cases) |
| Engineering representative | M. Osei (Manufacturing Engineering) |
| Customer representative (as required) | Meridian source inspection, for major/structural dispositions only |
Disposition types
Every nonconformance closes with exactly one of five dispositions. "Use-as-is" and "repair" carry the heaviest justification burden since the part ships without being brought fully back to the original design intent.
| Disposition | What It Means | Approval Required |
|---|---|---|
| Use-As-Is | Nonconforming material is released without correction — requires engineering justification that the deviation does not affect safety, function, or regulatory compliance | MRB Chair + Engineering; Meridian concurrence for any major/structural finding |
| Rework | Nonconforming material is corrected back to full original specification, then re-inspected against the same acceptance criteria as a first-pass conforming part | MRB Chair + Engineering |
| Repair | Material is modified to a functional, acceptable state that may not fully restore the original design specification — a materially different outcome than rework | MRB Chair + Engineering + Meridian (repair dispositions always require customer/engineering approval on structural parts) |
| Scrap | Material is removed from production entirely — no further disposition path | MRB Chair + Engineering |
| Return-to-Supplier | Nonconforming raw material or purchased part is rejected back to the supplier of record | MRB Chair + Supplier Quality |
Escalation tiers
Not every nonconformance carries equal risk. This program uses a two-tier review depth, consistent with how AS9100-aligned MRB processes scale review rigor to the risk remaining after disposition.
| Tier | Applies To | Review Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Level I (Standard) | Cosmetic/non-structural findings; minor dimensional deviations within engineering judgment | MRB Chair + Engineering representative; closed within the standing weekly MRB meeting |
| Level II (Elevated) | Any finding with a plausible structural or airworthiness implication, or any Use-As-Is/Repair disposition on a flight-critical feature | Full MRB plus Meridian source inspection concurrence; convened ad hoc rather than waiting for the standing meeting |
This maps to AS9100 Clause 8.7 (Control of Nonconforming Outputs) and, for the product-safety dimension specifically, Clause 8.1.3 — see the AS9100 QMS page. MRB-001, MRB-003, and MRB-004 below are Level II given their structural/FAI relevance; MRB-002 and MRB-005 are Level I.
Meeting cadence
The MRB meets weekly during Phase 2 steady-state production to disposition routine (Level I) nonconformances in a batch. Level II findings are not held for the weekly meeting — they trigger an ad hoc MRB session within 2 business days of discovery, consistent with the escalation timing in the Program Governance plan.
MRB Log
| ID | Date | Nonconformance | Disposition | Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MRB-001 | 2026-09-15 | Edge-trim dimension out of tolerance, 2 of 8 panel positions, S/N 0001 (FAI unit) | Rework | R. Kessler / J. Ferraro (Chair, ad hoc for FAI) | Closed — reworked panel passed re-inspection |
| MRB-002 | 2026-12-10 | Minor surface porosity within cosmetic (non-structural) zone, S/N 0034 | Use-as-is | J. Ferraro | Closed — engineering disposition, no structural impact |
| MRB-003 | 2027-02-20 | Fastener hole diameter 0.003in over tolerance, single hole, S/N 0058 | Rework | J. Ferraro | Closed — oversized fastener installed per engineering approval |
| MRB-004 | 2027-04-05 | Composite ply misalignment detected via NDT, S/N 0071 | Scrap | J. Ferraro | Closed — part scrapped, root cause traced to layup fixture wear |
| MRB-005 | 2027-06-15 | Raw material certification missing batch traceability code, incoming lot | Return-to-Supplier | S. Pham | Closed — lot returned, replacement lot certs verified before use |
MRB-001 is the FAI nonconformance also described on the First Article Inspection page. MRB-004's root cause (layup fixture wear) was fed back into Lessons Learned and triggered a preventive-maintenance schedule for production fixtures.