International Automotive Task Force 16949 (IATF 16949) is an

international standard An international standard is a technical standard developed by one or more international standards organizations. International standards are available for consideration and use worldwide. The most prominent such organization is the International O ...

for automotive

management system A management system is a set of policy, policies, business process, processes and procedures used by an organization to ensure that it can fulfill the tasks required to achieve its objectives. These objectives cover many aspects of the organizati ...

s that is a widely adopted and standardized quality management system for the automotive sector. It was released in 1999 by

International Organization for Standardization The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ; ; ) is an independent, non-governmental, international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. M ...

based on ISO 9001, and the first edition was published in June 1999 as ISO/TS 16949:1999. IATF 16949:2016 replaced ISO/TS 16949 in October 2016 by

International Automotive Task Force The International Automotive Task Force (IATF) is an ''ad hoc'' group of Automotive industry, automotive manufacturers and related industry associations. Its aim is to "provide improved quality products to automotive customers worldwide". Accordi ...

. The goal of the standard is to provide for continual improvement, emphasizing defect prevention and the reduction of variation and waste in the

automotive industry The automotive industry comprises a wide range of company, companies and organizations involved in the design, Business development, development, manufacturing, marketing, selling, Maintenance, repairing, and Custom car, modification of motor ve ...

supply chain A supply chain is a complex logistics system that consists of facilities that convert raw materials into finished products and distribute them to end consumers or end customers, while supply chain management deals with the flow of goods in distri ...

and assembly process. The standard was designed to fit into an integrated management system. The standard was developed by International Automotive Task Force. 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. IATF 16949 applies to the

design A design is the concept or proposal for an object, process, or system. The word ''design'' refers to something that is or has been intentionally created by a thinking agent, and is sometimes used to refer to the inherent nature of something ...

/ development, production and, when relevant, installation and servicing of automotive-related products. The requirements are intended to be applied throughout the

. For the first time vehicle assembly plants will be encouraged to seek IATF 16949 ertification

Historical background

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.

Contents of the specification

The aim of the standard is to improve the system and process quality to increase customer satisfaction, to identify problems and risks in the production process and supply chain, to eliminate their causes and to examine and take corrective and preventive measures for their effectiveness. The focus is not on the discovery, but on the avoidance of errors. The ten main chapters of the standards are: * Chapter 1: Scope * Chapter 2: Normative References * Chapter 3: Terms and Definitions * Chapter 4: Context of the Organization * Chapter 5: Leadership * Chapter 6: Planning * Chapter 7: Support
''Includes'' Resources (personnel, infrastructure, equipment), Competence, Communication and Documented Information (record retention, engineering specifications) * Chapter 8: Operation
''Includes'' Requirements, Design & Development, Control of Production and Release of Products & Services * Chapter 9: Performance Evaluation * Chapter 10: Improvement The process-oriented approach to business processes that is addressed in the ISO 9001:2015 is the base of the standard. It looks at the business processes in a process environment in which there are interactions and interfaces that need to be recognized, mapped and controlled by the quality management system. Additionally the gateways to the exterior (to sub-suppliers, customers and to remote locations) are defined. The Standard distinguishes between customer-oriented processes, supporting processes and management processes. This process-oriented approach is intended to improve the overview of the whole process. This is not an isolated process, but a combination of all interacting business processes which affect the quality performance of a firm. A key requirement of IATF 16949:2016 is the fulfillment of customer-specific requirements, set up by the automotive manufacturer in addition to the quality management system of their suppliers. This may have decisively contributed to the worldwide recognition of the IATF standard by many manufacturers.

Certification

IATF 16949 certification can be applied throughout the supply chain in the automotive industry. Certification takes place on the basis of the certification rules issued by the

(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 IATF 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 ''JAMA'' (''The Journal of the American Medical Association'') is a peer-reviewed medical journal published 48 times a year by the American Medical Association. It publishes original research, reviews, and editorials covering all aspects of b ...

and not members of the IATF). Certification bodies include:
PRI Certification
(USA, China & Japan) * DQS (Germany)
TÜV Rheinland
(Germany) * BSI Group (UK) * Bureau Veritas (France) * DNV GL (Norway)
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)

References

External links

International Automotive Task Force website
{{DEFAULTSORT:IATF 16949 International standards Automotive standards Automotive industry Quality management Quality control