Tekna Advanced Materials World’s First NADCAP Accredited Metallic Powder Manufacturing

15.10.2025 10:00 CET | Tekna Holding ASA | Non-regulatory press release

ARENDAL, NO / SHERBROOKE, QC. 15 October 2025 – Tekna (OSE: TEKNA), a world-leading provider of advanced materials to industry, is proud to announce that Tekna Advanced Materials inc. has received NADCAP accreditation for metallic powder manufacturing, making it the first company in the world to achieve this milestone. The formal audit was completed in August, and the certificate was officially granted today.

This achievement represents a watershed moment in the standardization and quality assurance of metallic powder production. Since 2023, Tekna has actively participated in developing the NADCAP audit criteria (AC7143) for metallic powder materials and hosted training sessions for auditors at its Canadian manufacturing facility. The new AC7143 standard is now published and establishes a global benchmark for quality, traceability, and consistency in powder manufacturing.

“From day one, we saw this effort not just as an internal quality upgrade, but a contribution to the aerospace and defense supply chain globally,” said Claude Jean, Chief Executive Officer of Tekna. “By helping to shape the audit criteria, and then demonstrating compliance through our own processes, we believe we are offering reassurance to our customers that our powders meet the most rigorous standards possible.”

What Is NADCAP?

NADCAP (National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program) is an industry-managed global cooperative program overseen by the Performance Review Institute (PRI). It standardizes audits and accreditation of “critical processes” (such as heat treatment, chemical processes, non‑destructive testing) to ensure suppliers meet the stringent technical and quality requirements demanded by aerospace and defense OEMs. (p-r-i.org)

Rather than each customer performing their own audit, NADCAP’s consensus approach reduces redundancy, aligns supplier practices with a single credible benchmark, and drives continuous improvement across the industry.

Until now, NADCAP had not included a specific accreditation for metallic powder manufacturing processes. With the release of Audit Criteria AC7143, the industry now has a dedicated framework for this critical domain.

Our Contribution to AC7143 and the Certification Journey

Standards development
From 2023 onward, Tekna was among the leading contributors in industry working groups and task forces that drafted the AC7143 audit criteria. This effort was a collaborative initiative involving key aerospace and defense stakeholders including BAE Systems, GKN Aerospace, Safran, and the Performance Review Institute (PRI), reflecting a shared commitment to advancing global standards for metallic powder manufacturing.
These criteria define mandatory practices in areas such as material traceability, process controls, quality assurance, contamination control, documentation, and equipment maintenance.
Auditor training hosted on-site
To ensure consistent interpretation of the new standard, our Canadian facility hosted training sessions for NADCAP and OEM auditors. This allowed direct exposure to real-world metallic powder workflows, improved mutual understanding, and helped validate the audit checklist in practice.
Internal readiness and mock audits
Throughout 2024–2025, our teams ran internal gap analyses, mock audits, and process refinements to ensure full compliance with AC7143 ahead of the formal audit.
Formal audit and certification
The NADCAP onsite audit was conducted in August. The auditor team thoroughly examined powder manufacturing facility, procedural controls, documentation, traceability systems, quality records, and more. With two minor nonconformances solved, we successfully passed the audit, and the NADCAP certificate was issued today.

Importance for Aerospace & Defense Customers

Achieving NADCAP accreditation under AC7143 demonstrates that our metallic powders now adhere to the highest industry standard of quality and traceability. For aerospace and defense customers, this offers several key benefits:
Reduced audit risk:Customers can rely on an independent, standardized certification rather than conducting custom process audits themselves.
Supply chain assurance:It signals that the powder manufacturing process is robust, traceable, and controlled from raw materials through final inspection.
Competitive advantage:As the first NADCAP accredited metallic powder supplier, Tekna is uniquely positioned to serve defense and space OEMs that require the highest level of supplier qualification.
Continuous improvement:NADCAP’s periodic re‑audits drive ongoing improvements, keeping our processes aligned with evolving best practices.

About AC7143 — The New Audit Criteria

The new NADCAP Audit Criteria AC7143 define requirements specifically tailored for metallic powder material manufacturing. These criteria cover:

Raw material traceability and certification
Powder production process controls (e.g. atomization, classification, handling)
Contamination control and cleanliness protocols
Quality assurance testing and documentation (e.g. particle size, composition, morphology)
Change control, calibration, preventive maintenance
Audit trail, reporting, and nonconformance management

Attachments

Disclosure regulation

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

Contacts

Arina Van Oost, Investor Relations | VP Corporate Strategic Development & Innovation, Tekna Holding ASA,

+33670115190, [email protected]

About Tekna

Tekna is a world-leading provider of sustainable, advanced material solutions, headquartered in Sherbrooke, Canada. The company specializes in high-purity metal powders used in critical applications such as additive manufacturing (3D printing) across the aerospace, defense, medical and consumer electronics industries. The company is positioning itself in the fast-growing market of advanced nanomaterials for the microelectronics sector.

Tekna also develops cutting-edge induction plasma systems designed for both industrial research and production. Its unique, IP-protected plasma technology is powering its hypersonic wind tunnels, PlasmaSonic, which enable simulating material exposure conditions in space.

With over 30 years of experience, Tekna is a trusted partner to a broad portfolio of multinational blue-chip customers for its high-quality products and innovation. Its material solutions help enhance productivity, enable more efficient use of materials and support the transition to more resilient supply chains and a circular economy.

https://www.www.tekna.com
Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/1358990/ #investinTekna

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