Lead Auditor training on ISO/TS 16949

Courtesy: Lead Auditor training on ISO/TS 16949

IATF 16949:2016 is a technical specification aimed at the development of a quality management system which provides for continual improvement, emphasizing defect prevention and the reduction of variation and waste in the automotive industry supply chain and assembly process. It is based on the ISO 9001 standard and the first edition was published in June 1999 as ISO/TS 16949:1999. IATF 16949:2016 replaced ISO/TS 16949 in October 2016.

The standard was prepared by the International Automotive Task Force (IATF) and the “Technical Committee” of ISO. It harmonises the country-specific regulations of quality management systems.

About 30 percent of the more than 100 existing motorcar manufacturers follow the requirements of the norm but especially the large Asian manufacturers have differentiated and have their own requirements for the quality management systems of their corporate group and their suppliers.

ISO/TS 16949 applies to the design/development, production and, when relevant, installation and servicing of automotive-related products.

The requirements are intended to be applied throughout the supply chain. For the first time vehicle assembly plants will be encouraged to seek ISO/TS 16949 [certification].

Many suppliers (OEMs) were asked by the car manufacturers to build and certify their quality management system according to the rules and regulations of their own country organizations, such as:

• VDA (Germany)
• AIAG (North America)
• AVSQ (Italy)
• FIEV (France)
• SMMT (UK)

But due to this regulation a supplier needed to provide two different certificates for Daimler and Chrysler (VDA 6.1 for Germany and QS 9000 America), even though the supplier delivered only to a single company. These complexities accelerated the need for harmonization.

The ISO/TS 16949 can be applied throughout the supply chain in the automotive industry. Certification takes place on the basis of the certification rules issued by the International Automotive Task Force (IATF). The certificate is valid for three years and must be confirmed annually (as a minimum) by an IATF certified auditor (3rd Party Auditor) of an IATF recognized certification body. Re-certification is required at the expiry of the three-year period. Certification pursuant to ISO/TS 16949 is intended to build up or enforce the confidence of a (potential) customer towards the system and process quality of a (potential) supplier. Today, a supplier without a valid certificate has little chance of supplying a Tier 1 supplier and certainly no chance of supplying a car manufacturer with standard parts, if indeed that OEM is a participating member of the IATF (most Japan OEM are members of JAMA and not members of the IATF) .

Certification bodies include:

• ENCONA (Germany)
• ENCONA (United States)
• ENCONA (Taiwan)
• ENCONA (South Africa) 
• TÜV Rheinland (Germany)
• BSI Group (UK)
• Bureau Veritas (France)
• DNV GL (Norway)
• DQS (Germany)
• EAGLE Certification Group (USA)
• IFCE (NORTHERN IRELAND)
• SAI Global (Australia)
• SGS S.A. (Switzerland)
• TÜV NORD (Germany)
• TÜV SÜD (Germany)
• United Registrar of Systems (UK)