IATF 16949 automotive and AS 9100 aerospace quality specialist, IRCA/CQI-certified ISO 9001 Lead Auditor and VDA 6.3 process auditor, with over 20 years leading quality across automotive, aerospace, defence and energy manufacturing.
Danish Akhtar is the founder and Director of Control Edge Ltd, and currently Principal Quality Consultant supporting Ford MS-RT and EDC Automotive. Over more than two decades he has led quality, audit and continuous-improvement functions inside some of the UK's most demanding manufacturing environments — from automotive turbocharger and thermal-systems production, through defence armour manufacturing, to aerospace-grade casting and coating supply chains.
He holds an MSc in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering & Supply Chain Management from the University of Nottingham and a BEng in Mechanical Engineering from NED University of Engineering & Technology, and is an IRCA/CQI-certified ISO 9001 Lead Auditor, an approved BSi consultant and course tutor, and a qualified VDA 6.3 process auditor. As a freelance consultant and trainer for BSi (British Standards Institution), he has trained, mentored and assessed hundreds of delegates — from shop-floor engineers to senior quality managers — across the UK, Europe and the USA.
His career spans quality roles at DENSO Marston, Parker Hannifin, BorgWarner Turbo Systems, VivoPower International, KONE and Advanced Armour Engineering, before founding Control Edge Ltd to bring that same hands-on discipline to businesses that need it as an independent consultancy rather than a permanent hire.
Figures drawn directly from Danish's professional career, not marketing estimates.
Ten areas of practical, hands-on capability built across real production lines and audit rooms, not just training courses.
AS 9100 implementation and auditing, first article inspection (FAIR), special-process approval, and aerospace casting and machined-part supplier surveillance, backed by 5+ years in aviation regulatory affairs.
AS 9100, IATF 16949, ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 implementation, integration and certification, run as one coherent system rather than separate paperwork exercises.
IRCA/CQI ISO 9001 Lead Auditor, VDA 6.3 process auditor, second-party and supplier audits, internal audit programme management, and VCA CoP audits.
APQP, PPAP, FAIR, control plans, DFMEA and PFMEA, MSA and SPC, plus homologation and whole-vehicle type approval experience.
Design specification review, safety and special-characteristic identification, and warranty data analysis for injection-moulded plastic components — built into the product and process from concept through launch.
8D, 5-Why, Ishikawa (fishbone), Pareto analysis, FRACAS, root cause analysis, and CAPA/NCR management through to verified closure.
Lean manufacturing, Toyota Production System, TPM, SMED, poka-yoke, Kaizen and DMAIC, applied to reduce scrap and cost of poor quality (COPQ).
Complaint and warranty resolution, supplier development, and quality scorecards and KPIs — FPY, PPM, COPQ and scrap.
Accredited BSi course delivery, vocational education and training, mentoring, and competence and training plan design.
Regulatory and legal registers, NEBOSH occupational health and safety, REACH, COSHH and IMDS compliance.
A track record built across nine organisations, from shop-floor engineering to board-level quality leadership.
Independent quality, audit and HSE consultancy across automotive, aerospace and defence, including QMS implementation across two Ford MS-RT sites and clients including EDC Automotive, Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis Group.
Led the quality function for defence armour programmes, integrating an ISO 9001 QMS across machining, fabrication, welding and coating processes in a safety-critical, security-controlled supply chain.
QA leadership across London infrastructure and engineering modernisation projects, including Heathrow airport service and repair quality and health & safety.
Owned the QMS for sustainable-energy and electric-vehicle conversion projects in the Netherlands, including DFMEA/PFMEA and control-plan development for defence and mining clients.
Approved BSi partner consultant and tutor, delivering accredited AS 9100 and IATF 16949 auditor training across the UK, Europe and the USA to clients including FABLINK Cab Systems, Thule Group and Knorr-Bremse.
Led IATF 16949 certification maintenance and VDA 6.3 process auditing for turbocharger manufacturing, delivering six on-time, zero-defect launches for Volvo and Scania.
Managed supply-chain quality across the European supplier base for engine, fuel and lube-oil filtration, leading IATF 16949 recertification and Lean Six Sigma leak-rate reduction.
Delivered site-wide ISO/TS 16949 implementation for automotive thermal systems, leading root cause analysis and APQP from design through to product launch. Engaged in the development of injection-moulded plastic tanks supplied for heat exchangers — design specification review, safety and special-characteristic identification, and quality and warranty data analysis used to build quality into both the product and the process.
Started in production and design engineering roles across electrical switchgear, automotive power transmission and cement processing, building the shop-floor foundation everything since has stood on.
Certified ISO 9001:2015 Lead Auditor with the Chartered Quality Institute / International Register of Certificated Auditors.
AS 9100 aerospace internal auditor and approved BSi course tutor, delivering accredited training across the UK, Europe and the USA.
IATF 16949 and AS 9100 internal and second-party auditor, and qualified VDA 6.3 process auditor.
Internal auditor for both standards, with additional ISO 27001 auditing experience.
NEBOSH International General Certificate in occupational health and safety, and VCA CoP audit competency.
Core tools competency across APQP, PPAP, FMEA, MSA and SPC, plus 8D problem resolution.
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